AFRICA

CAPE TOWN, South Africa | Xinhua) | The South African parliament said in a late-night statement Saturday that Lechesa Tsenoli, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly, will serve as the acting speaker during the speaker’s “special leave” from her role. Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the speaker of the National Assembly, is currently …

DAKAR, Senegal | Xinhua | The first round of the Senegalese presidential election started today at 8 a.m. local time (0800 GMT). According to statistics from the General Directorate of Elections, approximately 7.37 million voters, over 7 million domestically and the remainder abroad are expected to cast their ballots to …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – the global anti-money laundering watchdog— estimates that environmental crime is one of the most profitable criminal enterprises, generating around USD 110 to 281 billion in criminal gains each year; however, its latest figures suggest that less than 1 …

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA  | Xinhua | Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major causes of death in Africa, killing hundreds of thousands of people every year, African Union (AU) officials have said. The officials made the remarks at an event to mark the 2024 World Tuberculosis Day, which falls on …

NAIROBI | Xinhua |  Kenya and Tanzania on Friday launched a project in partnership with the African Confederation of Cooperative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA) to boost financial inclusion in the two countries. Simon Chelugui, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development …

Rome, Italy | THE INDEPENDENT | Italy is embarking on a new era in its trade and investment relations with Uganda, with officials promising new and bigger investments in different sectors, especially agriculture, health and other sectors. This comes as the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation (FederUnacoma), is in the final …

NAIROBI | Xinhua |  Kenya on Friday launched a policy to recognize the undocumented skills and knowledge acquired by thousands of informal sector workers without attending formal learning institutions. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said the framework elevates the informal sector workers and dignifies what they do. “This policy sows and …

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA | Xinhua | Speaker of the South African National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Thursday that she will take “special leave” from her position amid allegations of corruption against her and media speculations of her imminent arrest. “Given the seriousness of the allegations and the attendant …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s trade with the East African Community continues to grow in its favor, registering a trade surplus in January 2024, but is yet to reach the levels recorded in the same month a year ago. According to the latest national statistics, merchandise trade registered a …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi has said Uganda People’s Defence Forces UPDF is ready to build a strong military in Central African Republic -CAR. Gen Mbadi Monday evening said the Memorandum of Understanding UPDF signed with CAR at the beginning of …