AFRICA

Monrovia, Liberia | Xinhua | An observation mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) arrived in Liberia earlier this week to monitor next week’s presidential and legislative elections in the West African country, the regional bloc said in a statement on Thursday. Attahiru Jega, head of the ECOWAS …

Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua |  The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) has endorsed a request by Somalia for a three-month pause in the withdrawal of 3,000 troops stationed in the country, the AU mission said on Thursday. The PSC, which is the standing decision-making organ …

A young mayor taps into the burgeoning power of Africa’s youth in order to bring change – including digitisation – to a city in Eastern Zambia. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | The sun is casting long shadows over Chipata, a small but busy city in Zambia’s Eastern Province when …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Xinhua | Tanzanian weather authorities on Tuesday issued an alert over disruption of marine activities caused by strong winds and large waves in three lakes, the authorities said in a statement. The Tanzania Meteorological Authority said in its five-day forecast that strong winds reaching 40 …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua |  The Judiciary of Kenya on Tuesday called on African countries to come up with new strategies to combat transnational organized crimes that are currently negatively impacting the society. Chief Justice Martha Koome said strong enforcement of laws and the adoption of new strategies are crucial …

The success of the Nollywood thriller proves that the match of movie production with well-heeled Nigerian fintech superstars is a marriage made in heaven. The Black Book has trended at number one on Netflix in countries as diverse as Greece, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Luxembourg, South Korea, Sweden and of course, …

Ethiopian artefacts looted after the 1868 battle of Magdala, including a lock of hair and relics linked to the ark of the covenant have been returned to Ethiopia’s Embassy in London, thanks to the efforts of an Afghan-Indian activist foundation. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | The British government’s return …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Xinhua |  Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango on Tuesday received a brand new Boeing 737-Max 9 plane, bringing to 14 the number of aircraft operated by Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), the East African nation’s national carrier. The 181-passenger plane bought by the government touched …

Pessimism rules at Eastern & Southern Africa pharmaceutical manufacturing conference Entebbe, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | The clamour for Africa to ramp up its vaccine manufacturing portfolio has grown but players in pharmaceutical production on the continent say it will take more than boardroom talk for the continent to realise that …

African civil society note role of donors but want Govts to raise money locally Abuja, Nigeria  | RONALD MUSOKE | African governments must raise their health budgets if the continent is to tackle its ever rising disease burden, says the African Health Budget Network (AHBN), a pan-African civil society consortium on …