WHO warns malaria death toll to exceed COVID-19’s in sub-Saharan Africa
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WHO warns malaria death toll to exceed COVID-19’s in sub-Saharan Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that deaths from malaria due to disruptions during the coronavirus pandemic to services designed to tackle the disease will far exceed those killed by COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is one of the top killer diseases in the world with more than 409,000 people globally – most of them…

Africa Development Solutions to host webinar that will explore continent’s readiness for COVID-19 vaccines
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Africa Development Solutions to host webinar that will explore continent’s readiness for COVID-19 vaccines

As the world hurtles towards a COVID-19 vaccine, the Africa Development Solution (ADS) in partnership with Africa Health Business and Mansa Media will be hosting the ‘Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Africa’ webinar on Thursday, 3rd December 2020. The first-ever virtual webinar will include discussions by field experts on the procurement and financing solutions for…

Nigeria’s central bank governor projects economy to grow by 2% in 2021
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Nigeria’s central bank governor projects economy to grow by 2% in 2021

Nigeria’s central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, projects the economy will grow by roughly 2% in 2021. Africa’s largest economy slipped into recession in the third quarter – the worst in 33 years – blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic and drop in global crude oil prices. However, Emefiele said he expected it to be short-lived. Emefiele…

Boko Haram kill 110 farmers in Nigeria
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Boko Haram kill 110 farmers in Nigeria

Boko Haram killed 110 people in an attack on a village in north-east Nigeria, according to the UN humanitarian coordinator in the country. “At least 110 civilians were ruthlessly killed and many others were wounded in this attack,” Edward Kallon said in a statement after initial tolls had indicated the number of dead at 43…

Kenya’s biggest bank to purchase Rwanda, Tanzania banks
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Kenya’s biggest bank to purchase Rwanda, Tanzania banks

Kenya’s top lender by assets, KCB Group, announced on Thursday it has entered a binding agreement to purchase a controlling stake in Rwanda’s Banque Populaire du Rwanda and take full ownership of ABC Tanzania at a combined value of $40 million. The purchase agreements follow a recent trend of Kenyan commercial banks expanding beyond their…

Malawi gives green light to cannabis production for industrial and medicinal use
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Malawi gives green light to cannabis production for industrial and medicinal use

Malawi is ready to begin commercial production and processing of cannabis for medicinal and industrial use, the southern African country’s new Cannabis Regulatory Authority announced on Tuesday. Malawi joins a growing number of countries around the world — including Southern African states Zambia, Lesotho and Zimbabwe – that are either legalizing or relaxing laws on…

Burkina Faso president Kabore wins re-election
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Burkina Faso president Kabore wins re-election

Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore will serve another term in office after winning Sunday’s poll by a large margin, preliminary results indicate. The election, marred by heightened insecurity that prevented swathes of the West African country from voting was projected to be tight, but results that have trickled in show otherwise. Kabore was first elected…

South Sudan urged to stop charging East Africans visa fees, embrace use of National IDs
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South Sudan urged to stop charging East Africans visa fees, embrace use of National IDs

South Sudan, the newest country in the East African Community (EAC) bloc, has been called upon by the East African Business Council (EABC) to stop charging visa entry fees on any EAC Partner State and embrace the use of National Identity cards as a traveling document across the region. EABC CEO Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki…

African airlines to be boosted by opening of a $20mn simulator training center in Ghana
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African airlines to be boosted by opening of a $20mn simulator training center in Ghana

Africa’s aviation sector is set to receive a huge boost with the opening of an aviation training center at Kotoka International Airport in Ghana’s capital, Accra. The $20 million project by Prodigy Avia Solutions is endorsed by African Airlines Association (AFRAA) and the government of Ghana. In September, African Airlines resumed 72.92% of their international…

Mauritius to spend $162 million rebuilding village affected by oil spill
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Mauritius to spend $162 million rebuilding village affected by oil spill

Mauritius will use $162 million in rebuilding a 214 year-old coastal village that was hit by the island’s worst environmental disaster, according to the National Infrastructure Ministry. The government is set to spend $62.8 million in Mahebourg consolidating existing infrastructure and adding amenities to the waterfront esplanade over six years. It is projected that private…

U.S. State Department issues new rule requiring some African tourists to pay up to $15,000 in bonds
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U.S. State Department issues new rule requiring some African tourists to pay up to $15,000 in bonds

The U.S. State Department has issued a new temporary rule that could require tourists and business travelers from 24 countries, most in Africa, to pay bonds of up to $15,000 to visit the United States. President Donald Trump’s outgoing administration said the temporary final rule, which takes effect December 24 and runs through June 24,…

Nigerian central bank holds lending rate at 11.5%, expects short recession
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Nigerian central bank holds lending rate at 11.5%, expects short recession

Nigeria’s central bank held its benchmark lending rate at 11.5% following a meeting by the monetary policy committee on Tuesday. Prior to the meeting, the last of 2020, the bank had cut the rate on two occasions this year both by 100 basis points. Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele said in a virtual briefing in…

African governments, sporting icons Eto’o and Drogba shortlisted for 2020 Frontline Heroes Awards
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African governments, sporting icons Eto’o and Drogba shortlisted for 2020 Frontline Heroes Awards

A total of 90 individuals, groups, organizations and public-private initiatives have been shortlisted for the 2020 Frontline Heroes Awards, organizers African Silent Heroes in partnership with Fikiria Consulting announced. From sporting icons Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba to government entities like Tunisia’s Ministry of Industry’s Director of Innovation and Technological Development, Kingdom of Morocco and…

Ethiopia remains bullish on telecom auction plan
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Ethiopia remains bullish on telecom auction plan

Ethiopia will proceed with plans to sell a minority stake in state-run Ethio Telecoms within nine months and tendering for two new licenses will start on December 1 despite fears the war on Tigray would scare away potential investors. Ethiopia considers the telecoms industry its crown jewel even as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed seeks to…

South Africa’s ex-president Zuma to face criminal investigation
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South Africa’s ex-president Zuma to face criminal investigation

Former South African president Jacob Zuma will face a criminal investigation after he left proceedings of a corruption inquiry without obtain permission. Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo who serves a presiding judge in the inquiry said, “The summons directing Mr Zuma to attend and remain in attendance was at the time of his departure from…

FIFA bans African football chief for five years for breaching FIFA ethics code
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FIFA bans African football chief for five years for breaching FIFA ethics code

FIFA has banned the head of African football, Ahmad Ahmad from football for five years following an ethics investigation by the world soccer’s governing body. Ahmad, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), had intended to stand in an election in March in which he would have faced a number of challengers. That…

Nigeria slumps into worst recession in 33 years blamed on COVID-19 and crude oil prices
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Nigeria slumps into worst recession in 33 years blamed on COVID-19 and crude oil prices

Nigeria has slipped into a recession for the second time in the last five years after its gross domestic product contracted for the second consecutive quarter due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and a fall in crude oil prices. Africa’s largest economy was last in recession in 2016, its first in a generation,…

Sudan’s government cuts petrol and diesel prices
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Sudan’s government cuts petrol and diesel prices

Sudan’s acting energy and mining minister Khairy Abdel Rahman has announced a cut in pump prices for petrol and diesel for consumers. The transitional government, that came into power after the ouster of long time autocrat former President Omar Bashir in 2019, has been phasing out fuel subsidies to help reduce a gaping budget deficit…

South Africa’s finance minister warns ratings downgrade will increase borrowing costs
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South Africa’s finance minister warns ratings downgrade will increase borrowing costs

Africa’s most developed nation warned on Saturday the rating downgrade by Moody’s and Fitch will increase the country’s borrowing costs and limit its fiscal framework Tito Mboweni, Minister of Finance said, “The decision by Fitch and Moody’s… is a painful one. “There is an urgent need for government to implement structural economic reforms to avoid…

Ugandan police kill 41 people as government deploys military to halt peaceful protests
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Ugandan police kill 41 people as government deploys military to halt peaceful protests

Ugandan security forces have killed forty one people over two days in operations to quell protests triggered by the controversial arrest of presidential candidate Bobi Wine as the government scuttled to send military troops in armored vehicles to rein in on growing peaceful protests. In a statement, police added that 65 people had been injured…