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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.
The participants at the meetingThe participants at the meeting
EGYPT: The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat recently met with the heads of the four telecommunication operators, operating in the Egyptian ICT sector to discuss launching initiatives for supporting education, as school and university have been suspended as a precautionary measure taken by the government to curb the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
President Museveni (Photo: ste.india.com)
UGANDA: President Yoweri Museveni has called on the people of Nakasongola who include the Baruli and migrants from other parts of the country, to live in harmony and peacefully and stop fighting and killing each other over land.
Arriving at the Federal Square for the welcome ceremony and the inspection of the Guard of honour (Photo FDFA)
One word to describe Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo’s state visit to Switzerland is “HISTORIC.” Prior to his, only two other Sub Saharan leaders had made similar visits and those date back to more than six decades. Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie was there in 1954 and two years later in 1956, Liberia’s President William Tubman made his own visit.
Theme: “I am generation equality: realising women’s rights - African Union scales up actions towards gender parity”.
ETHIOPIA Today, (08 March, 2020) the African Union Commission joins the global community to celebrate and honour African women for their contributions in the development and well-being of this beautiful continent.
President Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo and President Simonetta Sommaruga on his arrival at Zurich airport ( Photo: FDFA)
It was a visit with a difference. A two-day state visit (February 28-29). The first in more than six decades paid by a Sub-Saharan African leader. The invitation to Ghana’s President Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo is a result of the longstanding cordial relations between Ghana and Switzerland.
Business Leaders Share Ideas on Solving Africa’s Biggest Social Challenges ( Photo: Shift Social Development)
Many of the continent’s top decision-makers to converge at Kigali Summit
SOUTH AFRICA: The African Business leaders will meet in Kigali, Rwanda on 4 to 5 June 2020 to look for to some of the continent’s most challenging social issues at the Africa Shared Value Leadership Summit.
A fleet of shacman truck heads produced at ANAMMCO Emene for Dangote
If not for Dangote’s magnanimity and his commitment to empower local manufacturers, the ANAMMCO plant would have remained perpetually moribund.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo www.theage.com.au
President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana is expected in Bern, Switzerland, on a two-day State Visit at the invitation of Swiss Federal Council in recognition of the excellent long-standing relations between the two countries. The last time Switzerland received a head of state from a Sub-Saharan country was sixty years ago.
Dr Lutz Hegemann (Photo: Xing.com)
LXE408 is a first-in-class compound, discovered at Novartis with financial support from the Wellcome Trust. Within the scope of the agreement, Novartis is responsible for completing Phase I clinical trials. In addition, it will drive pharmaceutical development and regulatory submissions. Upon approval, Novartis has committed to distributing the drug on an affordable basis worldwide with a focus on maximizing access in endemic countries.
Ms. Florizelle Liser (Photo Leading Edge)
KENYA: Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) in partnership with Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) hosted a roundtable discussion with Kenyan and U.S. business leaders and government officials to explore how the private sector can support this bilateral effort and take full advantage of investment and trade opportunities that will arise from a Kenya-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.
AfDB’s President Akinwumi Adesina (Photo AfDB)
NIGERIA: In its plan to establish Special Agro-Industrial Zones (SAPZs) the Nigeria’s government in collaboration with the African Development Bank held a workshop in Abuja from 17 to 18 February to address the categorization and location of the SAPZs.
Frank Ally, Attorney General of Seychelles, is heard before the Seychelles Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) on 13 February 2020. © Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation
Why were two killings on June 5, 1977, the day of France-Albert René’s coup d’Etat, not investigated and prosecuted? And why did the families never receive compensation from the national Fund? On February 14, the Seychelles Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission sought clarification from the country’s Attorney General, Frank Ally. And many mysteries remain.
Ms. Adekunle receiving her prize (Photo: Canon)
UAE: The winners of the 2019 Discovery Week Nigeria raffle that took place in October 2019 in Lagos, Nigeria, were recently announced by Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA). The raffle ticket provided a chance for participants to win a trip to the exciting city of Dubai, a Canon camera, or a Canon printer.
Anna Collard, Managing Director of KnowBe4 Africa
Of all the countries surveyed, Kenyans (75%) and South Africans (74%) were the most concerned about the risk of cyber crime
(Ecofin Agency) - The Kingdom of Sweden confirms it will help Angola accelerate its economic growth through the use of information and communications technologies.
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African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) (Photo: African Union)
An Interview with the creator Giselle Rufer
DELANCE SWISS WATCHES
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.
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.
Interested parties have until Friday to comment on legislation amending Section 25 of the Constitution.
(Ecofin Agency) - The UN Economic Commission for Africa announced the launch, in partnership with Standard Bank, of a new fund created to further empower women across the continent. The partnership deal was signed February 9 in Addis Ababa during the AU 33rd ordinary session.
Augustine Nwalunne, Head of Spectrum Management at the NCC in white
(Ecofin Agency) - US satellite operator Viasat is exploring expansion opportunities in Nigeria. A delegation of the company was received in audience on 10 February 2020 by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Abuja. This is the second meeting, after the one held on 4 March 2019, that the company is holding in Nigeria as part of its plans to open up to the world market.
[News24Wire] South Africa has recorded a second death as the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country reached 1 280 on Sunday.
[This Day] Nigeria has recorded 14 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 111.
[Premium Times] President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered residents of Lagos, Ogun and Abuja to stay at home for 14 days from Monday.
[Nairobi News] Police in Uganda have shot and injured two people reportedly caught defying a presidential directive on public transport.
[New Times] The Ministry of Health has confirmed an additional 10 people positive for the novel coronavirus bringing the total tally to 70 as of Sunday, March 29.
[Nairobi News] Two people who had initially tested positive for the coronavirus might be going home soon after their tests turned negative.
[Nation] Three diehard fans of Congolese soukous legend Aurlus Mabele are devastated by the news of his death in Paris on Friday last week.
[The Herald] Music is neither provocative nor defeatist, for it tells a tale in many ways through its evocation of the sensuous neurons; it appeals to the heart.
[Nyasa Times] Blantyre-based female gospel musician, Glocence Manoto is set to launch her debut album 'First Love' in April, following on the success of her last year's debut single 'You are Jehovah'.
[VOA] In Uganda, authorities have confirmed five new cases of COVID-19, among them an eight-month-old baby and two Chinese nationals who left their quarantine. Ugandan officials are trying to raise awareness of the coronavirus, including one well-known opposition lawmaker who, not surprisingly, issued his warning in song.
[News24Wire] The Bazique Festival took place from 13 to 15 March, in a Paarl venue an hour from Cape Town as the rest of the world came to grips with the coronavirus pandemic.
[Ghanaian Times] Chorale Music came alive at the Center for National Culture (CNC), known as the Art Center in Accra, when the 34th Pappoe Thompson Choral Music Festival was held last Thursday.
[The Conversation Africa] South Africa, like most countries in the world, has ordered all schools to close to try and stop the spread of COVID-19.
[This Day] Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has demanded N1.1trillion from the federal government for what it described as the revitalisation of the universities.
[The Conversation Africa] The poor performance of many children in mathematics continues to absorb researchers around the world. Studies of the possible reasons have explored various perspectives, including children's thinking processes. But low achievement remains a problem worldwide.
[Daily Trust] The Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) in federal universities, inter- university centres, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education has said that it will embark on a indefinite strike on 1 April, if there are shortfalls in their salaries for March.
[Nation] Bridge International Academies has sent home hundreds of teachers and staff on compulsory leave as the impact of coronavirus on jobs in Kenya starts to bite.
[New Era] Dundee Precious Metals Communications Manager Alina Garises said the Tsumeb based company has invested about N$7 million for bursaries to date.
[East African] The tourism sector in Tanzania is bracing for a 45-day shutdown of hotels and resorts with beginning April 1, The EastAfrican has learnt.
[Seychelles News Agency] Seychelles' international airport will remain operational during the next several weeks during which almost no regularly scheduled international flights are expected into or out of the island nation, said a top official.
[Nation] Hundreds of workers in the hospitality industry in Kenya's Western tourism circuit have been sent home after hotels in Nyanza and Western regions started shutting down their operations this week due to adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
[Capital FM] Nairobi -Tourism stakeholders are predicting losses worth tens of millions should Coronavirus continue spreading across the world.
[Daily Maverick] On March 15 President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a travel ban on all passengers flying into SA from high-risk Covid-19 countries. But, as a group of travellers found out, you do not need to have flown in from the identified country, you only have to be travelling on a passport issued from a high-risk country to fall foul of the ban.
[News24Wire] A group of more than 60 German tourists are under quarantine after one tested positive for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
The show "Lindenstrasse," a mainstay of German TV for 35 years, ended its run due to declining viewership. In its early years, the iconic show broke many taboos, including the first-ever gay kiss on German TV.
The frontman of the successful German rock band Rammstein, Till Lindemann, has been taken to an intensive care unit at a Berlin hospital. Has the 57-year-old singer contracted the novel coronavirus?
Restaurants in Germany are closed. But Michelin-starred Max Strohe and his team carry on, preparing meals for doctors and nurses. Food donations determine what's on the menu.
From stiff ears to cups of tea and the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, Germans use vivid idioms of encouragement in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the journey from Bonn to Vienna was cancelled, the crew put their heads together and came up with 24 hours of programming.
The Dutch historian claims humans are fundamentally good, but does the same apply in coronavirus times? DW spoke with the author.
[Nation] Lily Sigilai arrives home with a pile of firewood on her back.
[UN News] Women and girls face particular challenges as migrants, whatever their reason for leaving their country of origin. UN agencies are learning more about these difficulties, and how to address them.
[The Herald] A STAR shines brighter where there is darkness, so goes an old English saying.
[GroundUp] Note: South Africa is currently in lockdown. Travelling outside your house to have sex is strongly discouraged. Virtual sex is safe.
[East African] East Africa is ahead of the continent in gender equality, says a report by McKinsey Global Institute on the Power of parity in advancing women's equality in Africa.
[allAfrica] Mariatu Sesay was still a schoolgirl in Sierra Leone when she fell pregnant. Had it not been for her principal and class teacher, she would not have been able to finish her education because a draconian government ban excludes pregnant girls from class and from taking their exams. Her principal's and class teacher's defiance, however, gave her the support she needed to persevere. "Some of my schoolmates used to provoke me, but I summoned up courage because it was not my wish to be like th
Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus and his wife have donated €500,000 to help people and businesses in his home town. Elsewhere the Olympics reportedly have a new time slot in 2021. Get the latest here.
Vladimir Putin's government has taken control of Rosneft's Venezuelan assets to try and sidestep US sanctions. The move comes shortly after the US indicted Nicolas Maduro and other officials over narcotrafficking.
After the kidnapping of the main opposition leader and the nation’s first COVID-19 death, many thought Mali’s long-awaited elections might be delayed again. But the war-torn West African country has begun to vote.
A French former cabinet minister and former president of the Parisian Haut-de-Seine administrative district has become one of the first high-profile politicians to die of COVID-19. Patrick Devedjian was 75.
A titan of classical music, Penderecki was considered Poland's greatest contemporary composer. He is best known for his tribute to the victims of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, as well as for film scores like "The Shining."
With Germany in lockdown, pastors and priests are looking for new ways to reach the country's 3 million regular worshippers. Elderly churchgoers are especially in need of pastoral care.
[DW] After the kidnapping of the main opposition leader and the nation's first COVID-19 death, many thought Mali's long-awaited elections might be delayed again. But the war-torn West African country has begun to vote.
[Premium Times] President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered residents of Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja to stay at home for 14 days from Monday.
[allAfrica] Cape Town -Polls closed on Sunday (March 29) in Mali's long-delayed parliamentary elections, Al Jazeera reports.
[Nation] Uproar has greeted the manner in which police officers executed curfew orders on Friday, with some rights groups calling for civic education for them and the public.
[FrontPageAfrica] Paynesville -The Ministry of Youth and Sports has launched the 'National Youth Taskforce Against COVID-19' as part of efforts to help contain the spread of the coronavirus in Liberia.
[Shabelle] The governor of Puntland's Nugaal region Abdisalam Hassan Hirsi has died of his grave wounds after AlShabab suicide bomb attack in Garowe on Sunday night.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought most businesses to a standstill, but some startups are booming. Offering everything from disinfectants to education and working from home apps, some small firms are seeing great success.
African startups have about a 50% chance of making it on average, according to a report. But country figures differ significantly, and the ongoing coronavirus scare will hurt the continent's entrepreneurs.
[Nation] An ambitious debt repayment plan unveiled by the Treasury to reduce Kenya's Sh6.3 trillion debt has run into a major setback in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.
[Africa Renewal] Illicit financial flows (IFFs) has become a serious global threat to the attainment of the global development agenda. This has led the President of the United Nations General Assembly (PGA), Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, and the President of ECOSOC, Mona Juul to announce the high-level panel on international financial accountability, transparency, and integrity (FACTI) as a means to address this challenge that inhibits financing for Sustainable Development Goals.
[Thomson Reuters Foundation] As the world implements surveillance tech to track coronavirus, we must ensure this is done with respect for privacy
[Balancing Act] London -Not surprisingly, two-thirds of the stories in this week's e-letter are Covid-19 related. As with the ebola, the latest health crisis shines a light on the need to connect Africa's unconnected. Health workers need to know where Covid-19 is spreading to and the economically disadvantaged need to be able to stay in touch with their urban families. Russell Southwood spoke to Bradley Shaw, Regional Manager Middle East and Africa, NuRAN Wireless about initiatives to expand rural coverage.
Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus and his wife have donated €500,000 to help people and businesses in his home town. Elsewhere the Olympics reportedly have a new time slot in 2021. Get the latest here.
Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick believes the only way to finish the football season is behind closed doors in "ghost games." Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka have also revealed how much they are missing the sport.
[This Day] Despite the postponement of the 20th National Sports Festival and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to the outbreak of Covid-19, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, has assured the nation that the ministry was monitoring the athletes.
[This Day] Former Super Eagles Captain and goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, yesterday teamed up with some former African football legends in the fight against the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic that is ravaging the world.
[New Times] Lt. Colonel Sylvestre Sekaramba, the Secretary-General of APR football club says the club's 24 match unbeaten run this season is due to recruiting the right personnel in both the coaching and playing departments and instilling mental strength in the players.
[New Times] The 2020 edition of annual Kigali International Peace Marathon which was scheduled for May 17 has been postponed with immediate effect, Rwanda athletics federation (RAF) has announced.
[VOA] For nearly a decade, herders in Kenya's arid northwest have depended on cash payments from the government to withstand a cycle of recurring severe droughts and floods. But herders say the payments don't always arrive on time, and climate change is making it harder for them to maintain their livelihood.
[Foroyaa] Vendors at Serekunda market, the country's busiest, have described how they continue to lose customers amidst fears of the deadly coronavirus that has hit the country.
[New Era] A rangeland refers to a land area inhabited by native plants (grass, forbs, shrubs & trees) utilized by domestic and wild animals. Rangelands have direct or indirect support to all forms of life and is the cheapest source of food for livestock. Humans also derive food, medicine, and construction materials amongst others from the rangeland. This is an indication that there is huge demand and competition for rangelands' resources, thus, putting them under immense pressure to produce or continue to provid
[Observer] Grand Bassa County Senator and Chairman of the WASH Legislative Caucus, Jonathan L. Kaipay, has underscored the importance of the WASH sector in Liberia's development and the ramifications for the lives of pregnant women and children.
[Botswana Daily News] Gaborone -Botswana has adopted the 2030 agenda to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development.
[FrontPageAfrica] Monrovia -Former Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan has expressed concerns over reports that the government doesn't have money to fund the October 2020 Special Senatorial Election.
[The Herald] Masawara Holdings subsidiary, Dandemutande, has setup first public data cloud centre in the country as the company moves to align its infrastructure to match the needs of fourth industrial revolution.
[SAnews.gov.za] Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says the department will submit a Bill that will see e-hailing service providers like Uber and Bolt being fined up to R100 000 for allowing illegal operators to get on the roads without being licensed.
[New Frame] ACFS Community Education in Meadowlands provides daily meals and after-school support to children, and now has a computer lab. Parents can learn, too, and benefit from the vegetable garden.
[New Times] Based on projections that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is expected to usher in transformation that will have an impact on job creation, Willy Nsabiyumva, the Chief Executive of Grow-Fast Ventures, believes that there is no better time to equip young people with skills and competencies that would enable them to embrace the era.
[Daily Maverick] One would expect the Department of Science and Innovation to be at the cutting edge of, well, science and innovation. But frustrated tech innovators say they are battling to get past the first hurdle -- a dysfunctional website.
[This Day] The convener of the Gage award, Johnson Anorh, has expressed his desire to use the award to spotlight innovation in the digital space.