The African Union launched the operational phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) at a summit in Niger last month. Vera Songwe is the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa that has been providing support for the AU during negotiations and ratifications. She spoke to …
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UN appoints new HIV/AIDS chief after controversy United Nations, United States | AFP | United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed a new HIV/AIDS chief on Wednesday after the previous incumbent left accused of serious mismanagement. Oxfam International executive director Winnie Byanyima of Uganda will lead UNAIDS, a spokesperson for …
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Niamey, Niger | AFP | In the desert landscape of southeastern Niger, a radical Islamist insurgency has claimed hundreds of lives, fractured families and ravaged communities, fearful of the next Boko Haram attack. Strategically located in the Lake Chad basin in the middle of the Sahel, the Diffa region’s borders are …
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Tripoli, Libya | AFP | At least 42 people were killed and dozens wounded in an air strike targeting a town hall meeting in southern Libya, a local official and the UN-recognised government said Monday, accusing forces of military strongman Khalifa Haftar. The Government of National Accord (GNA) said Sunday’s raid …
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Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | AFP | Equatorial Guinea is awash in oil, although little of the wealth has trickled down to the poor. Yet one of the most glaring inequalities here is access to the internet. Other parts of the world are pushing ahead with plans for fast, free — …
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | A surprise UAE troop drawdown in war-torn Yemen aims to restore the Gulf country’s reputation, but may strain ties with key ally Saudi Arabia at a time of heightened tensions with Iran, experts say. “The political, reputational and operational risks Abu Dhabi incurred in …
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Paris, France | AFP | Acute malnutrition, forced labour, torture: NGOs have sharpened their tone against the shocking conditions endured by refugees and migrants in Libya, where over 40 people were killed in an air strike on a detention centre. Tuesday night’s strike on the centre at Tajoura near the capital …
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Money sent home by migrant workers from abroad across the globe is projected to record a 4% growth this year, hitting the US$550bn mark compared with US$529bn recorded in 2018, according to the latest statistics from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Remittances …
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Kampala, Uganda | Julius Businge | The government of Uganda has welcomed the new form of financing – blended finance – to Uganda with the hope of improving livelihoods of communities and businesses. Blended finance is the use of development finance and charitable funds to mobilise private capital flows to emerging markets …
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Assembly discusses cost of medicine, environment, climate change Member States at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland have agreed a new global strategy on health, environment and climate change: the transformation needed to improve lives and well-being sustainably through healthy environments. The annual gathering organised by the UN’s World …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price