AFRICA

Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  In a Cairo church bombed by the Islamic State group just months ago, Pope Francis and the Coptic Orthodox patriarch sat side by side Friday and prayed near tangible reminders of the horrific attack. The emotional mass came as the Catholic pontiff visits Egypt to …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP |  Tanzanian President John Magufuli sacked close to 10,000 civil servants on Friday after a government report found they had faked their qualifications. Some of the government workers are accused of falsifying exam certificates while others are said to have passed relatives’ qualifications off …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Pope Francis flies to Egypt Friday for a visit aimed at fostering reconciliation with the Muslim world against the backdrop of recent jihadist attacks on the Middle East’s biggest Christian community. The 80-year-old pontiff is due in Cairo around 1400 (1200 GMT) and his 27 …

Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has cautioned Uganda to be careful when negotiating oil and gas deals. He said that whereas oil is a good blessing to nations that discover it, there are times it becomes a curse to the countries. “Oil can be linked to honey. Honey …

Raila Odinga: Kenya’s tenacious, veteran politician Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | At an age when most would be retired, Raila Odinga, Kenya’s veteran opposition leader and one-time prime minister, is to run again for president — his fourth bid to become head of state. The 72-year-old has been a mainstay of …

Kenya opposition names ex-PM Odinga as presidential candidate Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Veteran political leader and former prime minister Raila Odinga was Thursday named Kenya’s opposition presidential candidate for elections in August, at a large rally in the capital Nairobi. The public announcement was made by senior leaders of …

Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Uganda Maj.Gen (rtd) Frank Mugambage has rallied young people to be wary of divisive ideologies like genocide, warning that it’s such that led to the destruction of Rwanda in 1994. He made the remarks while speaking to over 100 young people from Uganda and Rwanda that …

Accra, Ghana | AFP | Three members of Ghana’s parliament and a former lawmaker are facing travel bans to Britain over apparent visa irregularities, according to a leaked document seen by AFP on Wednesday. Britain’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin, wrote to parliament Speaker Mike Oquaye that the four …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP |  Nigeria’s president has missed the last two meetings of his cabinet, a senior minister said on Wednesday, in comments likely to fuel fresh speculation about the head of state’s health. Muhammadu Buhari, who spent two months on medical leave in London earlier this year, missed …

Making it easier, safer, and financially attractive for private investors to enter markets would boost competition, lower costs  By Carlos Lopes, Tony Elumelu, and Aliko Dangote Africa has a bright future ahead of it. Productivity and growth will improve as African economies continue to place more emphasis on services and …