Ivory Coast cocoa purchases have declined by half after protests emerged across the country in defiance to the October 31 presidential elections. The protest have so far claimed the lives of dozens and President Alassane Quatara has been declared the winner with the opposition forming a rival government in defiance. Middlemen who play a vital…
The World Travel Awards (WTA) has ranked Kenya as Africa’s leading tourist destination in 2020. The results of the annual vote were announced on Monday during the 27th WTA finals held in United Kingdom, an event that also coincided with the Africa Winners Day. Kenya’s top rank was based on its wide array of immense…
Eastern Africa’s aviation industry received enormous acclaim on Tuesday as both Ethiopia’s and Kenya’s state-owned airlines clinched all the Africa’s Leading Airlines awards on offer. The two nations are arch rivals not only in athletics but also the aviation industry, and this competition has spurred both airlines to global reputation. Ethiopian Airlines has again been…
Ethiopia’s government has laid down conditions for peace talks with Tigray, even as Eritrea’s government declined allegations that it had sent its troops to fight alongside Ethiopia’s federal army in the restive region. Redwan Hussein, Ethiopia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs and spokesperson for the newly established State of Emergency task force for the Tigray…
Mozambique’s government moved to filed provisional embezzlement, money laundering and abuse of office charges against former finance minister Manuel Chang over $2 billion in state-guaranteed debt borrowed during his term in office. Chang has been in custody in neighboring South Africa since December 2018, despite being sought by both Mozambique and the United States to…
South African magnate billionaire Patrice Motsepe has been nominated by four leading football associations to contest for the presidency of the Confederation of African Football as the race for the leadership post in African soccer gathers momentum. The 58 year-old mining magnate became the third candidate ahead of Thursday’s deadline for nominations after his candidacy…
Ethiopia’s ongoing war in the Tigray region has killed hundreds of civilians, and at least 800 troops despite assurances by Prime Minister Abiy that his nation would not slide into civil war. Sources report that the figures could be twice as high with most of the casualties sustained on the Tigray community side. The conflict…
A section of Nigerian citizens have been looting state warehouses across the country stocked with COVID-19 relief supplies which they say should have gone to the poor and hungry. The National Governors Forum (NGF) has however denied accusations of food hoarding or plans to sell the supplies. The body that brings together the heads of…
Diamond mining giant Debswana will close a diamond mine in Botswana as the firm struggles to make profit from mining lower value diamonds due to weak demand and trading disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Debswana Mining Company is equally owned by De Beers and the Botswana government, and is among the largest diamond miners…
South African state defence company Denel has received a reprieve after the government eased the terms of $37 million bailout it received for the financial year that ends in March 2021. The Ministry of Finance had allocated the bailout to pay off guaranteed debt, but Denel requested for permission to use the outstanding $13 million…
Sudan has closed parts of its border with Ethiopia with the government wary of violence spilling over. State news agency SUNA reported that the decision was made due to the ongoing heavy fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military invasion. SUNA also reported that the local government in…
Nigerian Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning Zainab Ahmed has said that the country’s total public debt may hit $100.8 billion by December 2021. Ahmed made the statements when she appeared before the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts. There have been growing concerns among the public and economists over Nigeria’s debt stock….
Less than two years have passed since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for what the awarding committee said was his efforts to promote peace in the region. Fast forward and how things can change. Abiy’s government is no longer engaging in peace projects to end regional conflicts but rather…
Japan’s Nagashiki Shipping, owner of the vessel that spilled over 1,000 tonnes of oil in August says that the clean-up will likely end in January. The massive oil spill came from the Panamanian-flagged MV Wakashio chartered by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, and the ship’s owner said in a statement that all of the oil that…
Nigeria’s federal government has reached a deal with Chad to supply electricity to its north eastern neighbor, sources have confirmed. The agreement was finalized after a recent meeting between the Nigerian negotiating team composed of officials from the Transmission Company of Nigeria and Chad’s Minister of Energy Ramatou Houtouin. Despite being a major oil producer,…
Malawi will become the first African country in decades to open its embassy to Israel in the capital Jerusalem. Malawian Foreign Minister Eisenhower Mkaka made the announcement during a trip to Israel, calling the decision a “bold and significant step.” Mkaka also congratulated the Jewish state for enhancing relations with Arab and Muslim nations after…
Thousands of farm workers in Kenya are on the verge of losing their jobs due to closure on sell of ‘non-essential’ items by supermarkets and florists during the lockdown in France. On Friday, France began its second lockdown in just seven months in a nationwide effort to curb the country’s renewed surge in Covid-19 cases….
Aspen Pharmacare, has announced that it has reached an agreement with American drugmaker Johnson & Johnson to commercially manufacture its COVID-19 vaccine candidate in South Africa. Aspen, South Africa’s largest pharmaceutical company, will also perform formulation, filling and secondary packaging of the vaccine for the U.S. firm, the company said. Currently, the vaccine candidate is…
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has fired Central Bank governor Jamal Wani, as the country battles a struggling economy. The announcement was made in a presidential decree read on State-run TV SSBC, which also included the appointment of Dier Tong to replace Mr. Wani. The president did not give reasons for firing Mr. Wani, but…
Sudan and South Sudan inked a joint military pact on Thursday aimed at providing armed training, opening borders and promoting peace and development between the two countries. The memorandum of understanding was signed by Sudan and South Sudan’s Ministers for Defence, Ibrahim Yassin and Angelina Teny. It also mandates both sides to resolve the issue…