Nigerian conspiracy theorists force Gates Foundation to deny $10m bribery
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Nigerian conspiracy theorists force Gates Foundation to deny $10m bribery

ByEditorial

It started as conspiracy theory circulating on social media that billionaire tech mogul Bill Gates was behind a plan to hurriedly pass a controversial Infectious Disease Control Bill into law in the Nigerian parliament.  But when the spokesperson of one the political parties in Nigeria, Ikenga Ugochinyere issued a statement alleging that the leadership of the House of Representatives received the sum…

The Covid19 Pivot: Embracing The New Normal
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The Covid19 Pivot: Embracing The New Normal

ByEditorial

South Africa has been under lockdown for over 50 days now, it’s been so long that it almost feels normal. During this time, we’ve become experts at interpreting our fellow citizens’ muffled speech, which emanate from the ubiquitous and colorful masks found all around the country. The cold smell of hand sanitizer and terms like…

Coronavirus Impact: How a fast growing business is now battling to survive
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Coronavirus Impact: How a fast growing business is now battling to survive

ByEditorial

A month before the lockdown started Tshepo Mekoa’s logistics business was facing exponential growth. He had hired 16 employees, purchased 9 vehicles and was about to move his business into a new 3000 square metre warehouse – business was looking good. More than a month into lockdown, he’s had to lay off 40 workers, and those that remain have taken a 50 % pay cut – in an instant the company is now battling to survive.

Nigeria’s largest commercial city mulls end to lockdown
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Nigeria’s largest commercial city mulls end to lockdown

ByEditorial

The commercial nerve center of Nigeria, Lagos, is working towards reopening the city for business after two weeks of easing its lockdown. But considering that Lagos State is the epicenter of COVID-19 in the country with 2550 out of the total number of 5959 cases (May 17), is the city ready to fully resume commercial…

Is PPE scarcity in Nigerian hospitals causing death of non-coronavirus patients?
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Is PPE scarcity in Nigerian hospitals causing death of non-coronavirus patients?

ByEditorial

It was around 11 am on Tuesday, April 21 when Mrs. Deborah Oluwadero was rushed to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria’s southwest region. Diabetic and hypertensive, she sometimes suffered from fluctuating blood glucose. According to her son, John, who himself is a pharmacist, on few days before his mother’s passing, her blood…

African Development Bank approves $13.7 million to strengthen the health system in Zimbabwe
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African Development Bank approves $13.7 million to strengthen the health system in Zimbabwe

ByEditorial

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved a $13.7 million grant to finance the COVID-19 response in Zimbabwe. The funds will provide an immediate lifeline for targeted frontline responders and health personnel and boost the country’s Global Health Security Index in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.Approval for the grant was made on…

Nigeria slashes 2020 budget, oil benchmark
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Nigeria slashes 2020 budget, oil benchmark

ByEditorial

The Nigerian government has reviewed downwards its 2020 budget from $27.1bn to $26.9bn to reflect its revenue challenge brought about by global oil price slump. The country’s budget deficit now stands at $13.5bn, with the country only able to fund its budget through direct revenue to the tune of $13.22tn. The government hopes to finance the deficit through foreign loans from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank…

Meeting Africa’s urgent liquidity needs while protecting its access to international markets
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Meeting Africa’s urgent liquidity needs while protecting its access to international markets

ByEditorial

This Opinion is co-signed by the ministers of finance and / or ministers of development of the following countries: Angola, Cameroun, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone and Tunisia. As the Coronavirus pandemic storm sweeps through the world, in Africa it is leaving many economies that have…

Is South Africa’s Lockdown working?
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Is South Africa’s Lockdown working?

ByEditorial

The longer South Africa’s lockdown continues the more I’m reminded of the 1982 Holocaust film, Sophie’s Choice. Starring the impeccable Meryl Streep who won the Oscar for her portrayal of a woman forced by Nazis to make an impossible choice of deciding which one of her two children she wanted sent to the gas chambers….

SA to print more money to fight Covid-19
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SA to print more money to fight Covid-19

ByEditorial

South Africa’s deputy finance minister David Masondo says the country’s central bank should do more to safeguard the economy from the effects of Covid19. Mr Masondo was quoted in a weekend newspaper report calling for the reserve bank to buy government bonds directly from treasury. His comments have received widespread criticism, with many economists stating…

A majority of South Africans fear hunger more than the virus
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A majority of South Africans fear hunger more than the virus

ByEditorial

South Africa’s lockdown moves into unchartered waters this week, from today around 1.5 million workers will return to work as government gradually begins re-open the economy in what it calls a risk adjusted strategy. The strategy will see various sectors of the economy being opened incrementally to prevent the exponential rate of Covid-19 infection. The…

East Africa’s Oil Industry: A New Story in the Making
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East Africa’s Oil Industry: A New Story in the Making

ByEditorial

The moving forward of the Lake Albert Development Project, and its export pipeline, is a major step forward de-risking other potential oil & gas projects in East Africa The recent acquisition by Total of Tullow Oil’s entire interests in the Lake Albert Development Project in Uganda, including the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, marks the…

Africa and the post-Covid19 World
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Africa and the post-Covid19 World

ByEditorial

Like it or not the coronavirus has fundamentally changed the way we live our lives, possibly for good. In this brand-new world, a trip to the grocery store, once so harmless and carefree, now elicits paranoia and distrust. Touching or being too close to someone has become unthinkable, the virus lurks everywhere, so we keep…

South Africa’s economy set for gradual re-opening
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South Africa’s economy set for gradual re-opening

ByEditorial

South Africa’s weeks long lockdown is set to be eased, but only just. Addressing the nation on Thursday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the lockdown will be lifted in phases to ensure lives are saved but also to get the economy moving again, “our people need to eat, they need to earn a living” Mr…

How Innovation is helping combat the coronavirus in Africa
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How Innovation is helping combat the coronavirus in Africa

ByEditorial

The coronavirus pandemic is having a devastating effect on healthcare systems around the world, in South Africa a team of doctors have designed a device that protects frontline healthcare workers from being infected with the virus –it’s called the Intubox. We have been finding out how innovation is being used to combat the virus.

SAA, African aviation’s first Covid-19 casualty?
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SAA, African aviation’s first Covid-19 casualty?

ByEditorial

The global aviation industry is facing a battering as the deadly coronavirus pandemic continues wreak havoc with the world economy. With so many countries around the world in lockdown, planes have been grounded, leisure and business travel has been halted, leaving the aviation sector teetering on the brink. According to the International Air Transport Association, airlines are…

Africa’s energy transition must be African at heart and in practice
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Africa’s energy transition must be African at heart and in practice

ByEditorial

Local content policies and localization strategies cannot be forgotten in the pursuit of investment and efficiency (By Verner Ayukegba) Africa is at an energy cross-road. On one hand, the most talented, better educated, most entrepreneurial and competitive generation the continent has ever had is rising and taking on leadership positions that will propel African companies…