CAPE TOWN – The Sahel region’s Great Green Wall Initiative received a major boost from the African Development Bank (ADB) yesterday. ADB President Dr Akinwumi Adesina said the bank had launched a $20 billion (abot R306bn) Desert-toPower programme to build the largest solar zone in the world, in the Sahel. He spoke in a virtual…
The World Bank plans to invest over $5 billion over the next five years to help restore degraded landscapes, improve agriculture productivity, and promote livelihoods across 11 African countries on a swathe of land stretching from Senegal to Djibouti. World Bank Group President David Malpass announced the investment at the One Planet Summit, a high-level…
South Africa Mobilises In Response to Case Resurgence In light of a spike in COVID-19 cases in South Africa which authorities attribute to widespread holiday trips, the country will close the twenty remaining open land border posts with neighbouring countries for general entries and departures until February 15. In addition, coronavirus vaccines will soon be…
Ahead of Uganda’s January 14 election, President Yoweri Museveni’s government continues to limit the opposition’s voices by blocking campaigning, enabling an environment that cannot facilitate a fair and free vote, according to rights groups. The repression and coronavirus prevention measures have restricted the presidential hopefuls attempts to get their message out with police aiming to…
Border closures, quarantines and lockdowns. These strict measures to fight the pandemic nearly brought domestic and international travels to a standstill in 2020. But despite the economic pressures felt by African airlines, there was a resolve for survival. Ethiopian airlines, Africa’s largest commercial airline, quickly diversified to cargo. It avoided seeking bailouts and laying-off full-time…
Unkept Promises in a Marginalised Region Hundreds went on strike on Thursday taking to the streets of Gafsa, Tunisia to demand the provision of infrastructure and jobs promised by several governments in this region — rich in phosphate and one of the most marginalised in the country. “Recruitment is a priority and not a favour,”…
Botswana and China Strengthen Ties Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his local counterpart Dr Lemogang Kwape in Botswana on Thursday to reinforce bilateral and diplomatic relations — which the two nations consider to be based on mutual respect, trust, and support. The talks were also to promote continued cooperation in anti-pandemic efforts…
There was chaos on the floor of Ghana’s parliament on Wednesday as legislators voted to choose the next speaker of the 8th parliament of the 4th Republic. Some members of the opposition National Democratic Congress disrupted the election of the speaker of the 8th parliament, leading to several commotions in the house since the inauguration…
Youths protesting a coronavirus curfew fought with security forces in the Senegalese capital Dakar overnight Wednesday, burning tyres and erecting barricades as police fired tear gas. The main clashes were in the city’s Ngor district, while other incidents were reported in the Medina and Yoff areas and suburban Pikine, Guediawaye and Thiaroye. The violence erupted…
China has waived some of the debt owed to it by the Democratic Republic of Congo, to help the central African country overcome the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, Congo’s foreign affairs ministry said on Wednesday. The ministry did not say how much was forgiven. The deal was announced during a visit to Kinshasa…