Covid-19 has had a negative impact on African health systems. Many people have not been able to access medical services because of the pandemic. Many children have missed important vaccinations and health checks. A new study has found that many African children have missed vital medical treatments for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, because of the…
Existing vaccines should still protect people who contract the Omicron variant from severe Covid cases, a World Health Organization (WHO) official says. It comes as the first lab tests of the new variant in South Africa suggest it can partially evade the Pfizer jab. Researchers say there was a “very large drop” in how well…
In our series of letters from African journalists, Ismail Einashe meets a man who recounts how he was tricked into going to work in Libya – and how he escaped. A young Bangladeshi migrant in the Italian city of Palermo sits uneasily shuffling in a chair and playing with his mobile phone as he recounts…
The Gambia’s re-elected president Adama Barrow has laid out plans for his second mandate. Speaking at a press briefing in Banjul on Tuesday, Barrow promised to be president for all Gambians. Barrow was easily returned to power in Saturday’s vote after his first five-year term ended the 22-year dictatorship of Yahya Jammeh. According to official…
Ethiopia’s government said Monday it had recaptured two strategic towns from rebel fighters, the latest in a rapid series of battlefield victories claimed by forces loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The announcement marks another dramatic twist in the 13-month-old conflict that has killed thousands of people and triggered a deep humanitarian crisis in the…
After more than 80 weeks of closure, questions loom over the effect of the shutdown on students and teachers. Kampala, Uganda – Long before Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni announced last month that schools would reopen in January, 15-year-old Florence Nagawa had already decided she was not going to return to study. In March 2020, all educational facilities in…
Benson Ndumu Mwangi has been a truck driver for 10 years, navigating the roads of Kenya and East Africa. It can be a tough job: “Trucking in Kenya is a challenge, some of the roads are very difficult to manoeuvre through, causing mechanical issues and delays. “Some areas have a high risk of theft and…
On Monday, a court in the Democratic Republic of Congo freed the former chief of staff of president Félix Tshisekedi. Vital Kamerhe was sentenced on appeal to 13 years in prison for corruption and embezzlement of funds. Kamerhe was initially sentenced to 20 years behind bars in June 2020. The case relates to the government’s…
The authorities in The Gambia have used tear gas to disperse demonstrators protesting the results of the presidential elections. The incidents ocurred outside the residence of opposition leadder Ousainou Darboe. Before violence erupted, Darboe appealed to supporters to avoid violence and follow legal procedures to investigate potential irregularities. The opposition supporters reject the victory of…
Five out of 54 African countries are on course to reach a 40% target for vaccinations, according to new report on Covid-19 in Africa. There have been warnings that warning that an un-vaccinated Africa could become ”a perfect incubator for variants”. Weak systems raised the possibility that vaccination rates were even lower than official statistics showed.…