Tag Archives: africa

Can world’s biggest trade bloc wean Africa off expensive aid? Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | On Aug.17, Nana Akufo-Addo, the Ghanaian president, launched the Permanent Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) four months ahead of the day African countries are expected to start trading in goods …

They are serious political actors, not mere acentric characters | ANAÏS ANGELO | All-powerful presidents are an essential part of a stereotypical representation of African politics controlled by a few individuals, rather than by institutions. This view has been reinforced by a literary tradition sanctifying the biographies of “great men” …

Nairobi, Kenya | XINHUA | Stronger China-Africa ties are key to the post-COVID-19 economic recovery of the African continent, a Kenyan scholar said on Sunday. Peter Kagwanja CEO, Africa Policy Institute, a regional think tank, said in a commentary published in the Sunday Nation that as the global COVID-19 crisis …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Female Speakers of parliaments in the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) have called for increased economic empowerment of women and financial inclusion. The speakers and presiding officers made the call during a virtual meeting of the 13th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament organized by …

Beijing, China | XINHUA | Experts have voiced concerns over the U.S.’ inaction in joining the international community to help Africa amid the pandemic, the continent hit hardest by COVID-19. “The U.S. has basically been missing in action on the global front, which is very heartbreaking for me to see,” …

Nairobi, Kenya | XINHUA | The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday urged African countries to put solid COVID-19 prevention measures in place before embarking on reopening of learning institutions. WHO said in a statement released in Nairobi that reopening of schools in the Sub-Saharan African region should be accompanied by …

The virus has since moved from high density urban areas to the congested slums Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Aug. 14 marked six months since COVID-19 was first detected on the continent. While the virus has accelerated in many other regions of the world, the pandemic’s evolution on the …

Pay-as-you-go off-grid solar energy is bringing electricity to millions across Africa. Ian Lewis reports Falling costs and improved sales networks mean that small-scale solar power for households or micro-businesses is taking off across Africa. Crucially, this is fast becoming a self-sustaining sector that can generate its own revenues, and allowing numerous companies of …

Johannesburg, South Africa | XINHUA | The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) on Tuesday launched a program to help Africa’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to adapt business operations in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. AUDA-NEPAD, in partnership with Ecobank Group, launched the MSME Academy which will give …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA |  High-level African and Chinese experts and officials on Tuesday called for further strengthening China-Africa ties in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. They made the call during a high-level virtual China-Africa joint response to COVID-19 pandemic meeting, which brought together senior experts …