Nairobi, Kenya | THE INDEPENDENT | African civil society organizations are calling on their governments to collaborate more closely in the push for reforms in the global trade, economic, and finance administration. This comes amidst calls for a landscape on which the developed world and the international lenders can deal with the …
Read More »UNCTAD urges reforms on global debt architecture
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The UN Trade and Development organ-(UNCTD) has called for urgent reforms to the global debt architecture to avert a widespread debt crisis among developing countries. In a report released this week, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) outlines a set of recommendations to …
Read More »Hail the great Kéré, jewel in the crown of African architecture
Celebrated Burkinabé architect Francis Kéré has won the 2023 Praemium Imperiale prize, compounding his meteoric rise as one of the world’s most fêted architects. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Burkinabé maestro Diébédo Francis Kéré has bagged the prestigious Praemium Imperiale honour to become 2023’s most fetéd African architect. The …
Read More »In Ethiopia, as a capital rises, history rots
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | From its hillside overlooking the Ethiopian capital, Berhanu Mengistu’s century-old, gabled family home has seen emperors and governments rise and fall. It has withstood economic stagnation and the rapid population growth that replaced its once-patrician neighbours with a rabble of shacks. But it now …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Makerere’s Nawangwe urges on architecture
THIS WEEK: Makerere’s Nawangwe urges on architecture Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Barnabas Nawangwe, a Ugandan architect and Vice Chancellor of Makerere University has urged government and other relevant players to make good policies regarding architecture in the country to drive meaningful growth in the construction sector. Nawangwe, who …
Read More »Erdogan hails opera house project as ‘symbol’ of Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday launched a controversial project to build a brand new opera house in Istanbul, saying the new building would be a symbol for the city. The 2,500-seat opera house, due to open in early 2019, will be built on the …
Read More »Six projects awarded Aga Khan architecture prize
Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates | AFP | A dome-less mosque designed by a Bangladeshi woman architect and a Beirut institute by the late Zaha Hadid were among six projects awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Sunday. The prestigious prize was awarded at a ceremony in Al-Ain oasis city, in …
Read More »London’s Tower Bridge closes until New Year
London, United Kingdom | AFP | London’s iconic Tower Bridge closed to vehicles for three months on Saturday for its first major maintenance works in nearly half a century. The 122-year-old drawbridge by the Tower of London — whose roadway leaves are lifted to allow tall ships on the River …
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