Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent - news that matters.
COMMENTARY
Navigating India-Africa relations in a post-pandemic world
India has traditionally prioritised Africa in its foreign policy. However, the current administration of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has shown an extraordinary determination to strengthen India's longstanding ties to the African continentClick here to read...
Civil War in Ethiopia: Why India can’t let Africa’s second-most-populous country go Yugoslavia’s way
India should be more assertive and play an active role in helping the conflicting political factions to navigate towards a political settlement peacefully. Click here to read...
NEWS
Kenya election result: William Ruto wins presidential poll
Deputy President William Ruto has been declared the winner of Kenya's presidential election amid dramatic scenes. Click here to read...
Kenya Elections 2022: Raila Odinga and William Ruto in tight race for president
Logistical delays and a failure of the identification kit in some parts of the country marred a largely peaceful election day in Kenya. Polls are now officially closed but voting has been extended in places which opened late. Click here to read...
East Africa won’t sleep well until Kenya counts the votes
On August 9, the cultural politics of East Africa could be reshaped in ways it hasn't been in 37 years. Either Deputy President William Ruto or veteran opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga will become the fifth president of Kenya. Click here to read...
Ethiopia completes third filling of Blue Nile mega-dam reservoir
Ethiopia has completed the third filling of its mega-dam reservoir on the Blue Nile, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced, a development that could raise further tensions with downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan. Click here to read...
France completes troop withdrawal from Mali
The last soldiers belonging to France's Barkhane operation in Mali have now left the African country, the French chiefs of staff said on Monday. Click here to read...
German military mission to Mali suspended
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has announced that Germany's military mission in Mali would be halted until further notice. France is withdrawing a larger force from Mali, as the junta has hired Russian mercenaries. Click here to read...
Sierra Leone president says protests aimed to overthrow the government
Sierra Leone's president, Julius Maada Bio, said on Friday that this week's anti-government protests, which led to the deaths of six police officers and at least 21 civilians, were an attempt to overthrow the government. Click here to read...
Angola enters final stretch of electoral campaigns
Angola has entered the final stretch of the electoral campaign, in the upcoming general elections on the 24th of August. Click here to read...
Guinea dissolves leading opposition group amid political unrest
Guinea’s junta-appointed government has dissolved the country’s leading opposition movement, the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), under a decree authenticated by AFP on Tuesday. Click here to read...
Hundreds rally in Sudan to support military-backed initiative
Hundreds of Sudanese rallied outside a Khartoum conference hall in a show of support for a political initiative backed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who last year led a military coup. Click here to read...
Chad military gov’t, opposition groups sign peace deal in Qatar
At least 40 groups sign a deal with the government to launch a national reconciliation dialogue, but the main rebel group refuses to take part. Click here to read...
‘Stakeholders’ reject extension of South Sudan’s transitional period
A group of “like minded” South Sudanese stakeholder have “categorically” reject the extension by the parties of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) period. Click here to read...
Burundi sends troops into Congo as part of East African force
Burundian troops entered the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday as the first deployment of an East African regional force aiming to quell rebel violence, Congo's army said. Click here to read...
UN Security Council to hold session for the appointment of Libya Special envoy
The UN Security Council is expected to hold a session on Libya this Monday, with the appointment of a new head of UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on top of the agenda, Libya Update reports. Click here to read...
Strategic importance of Djibouti
Djibouti occupies a very strategic maritime location at the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands. It is strategically positioned near the world's busiest shipping lanes and acts as a refueling and transshipment center. Click here to read...
US Airstrike in Somalia Kills 14 al-Shabab Militants
Officials in central Somalia say a U.S. airstrike against al-Shabab militants has killed 14 fighters, the deadliest strike against the terrorist group in months. Click here to read...
UK pushes ahead with Rwanda migrant scheme as small boats keep coming
Housed in a detention centre in southern England, Aladeen says he risked his life to travel thousands of miles from his homeland of Syria to escape being forced to fight in the military of President Bashar al-Assad. Click here to read...
USA invests $ 2 billion in Africa, might impact Africa’s future
The US state Secretary Antony Blinken announced a 10-year program to strengthen democratic governance in sub-Saharan regions of Africa. The program is going to have a budget of 2 billion US dollars. Click here to read...
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in South Africa on Africa tour
Blinken's visit to Africa is seen as part of a competition between Russia and Western powers for support from African countries over the war in Ukraine. Click here to read...
Blinken arrives in Africa ‘to counter Russian influence’ on the continent
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in South Africa on Sunday to kick off a three-country tour that will also take him to DR Congo and Rwanda, aimed at "developing a strategy to counter Russian efforts to undermine democracy in Africa", according to a France-based political scientist. Click here to read...
US Says New Africa Strategy Will Engage Leaders, Rethink Military Role
The White House on Monday unveiled broad new policy goals for sub-Saharan Africa, with administration officials seeking to tie the region’s democratic, economic and security progress to US national security. Click here to read...
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says U.S. is “equal partner” with African countries
The United States sees Africa’s 54 nations as “equal partners” in tackling global problems, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in South Africa Monday. Click here to read...
China Critical of Blinken's Africa Offensive
We're not in competition: That was the line from both the United States and China as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Africa this week, but analysts said the trip was indeed aimed at, among other things, countering Beijing's massive influence on the continent. Click here to read...
China Backs $640 Million Sudan Rail Revamp Amid Economic Crunch
Sudan secured Chinese backing to begin a $640 million restoration of its railway network, pressing ahead with the ambitious project despite an economic crisis worsened by last year’s coup. Click here to read...
Moroccan ambassador: Morocco adheres to one-China policy
Moroccan Ambassador to China Aziz Mekouar recently reiterated the Kingdom of Morocco's adherence to the one-China policy as the foundation of relations between the two friendly countries. Click here to read...
How the US lost Africa to China over new disease control centre in Addis Ababa
Just south of Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the US$80 million new African disease control headquarters, built and funded by China, is nearing completion amid disquiet in Washington. Click here to read...
Uganda Boosted Fuel Buffer to 10 Days Ahead of Kenyan Election
Landlocked Uganda increased its fuel buffer to 100 million liters ahead of Kenya elections to avoid potential supply disruptions, as was the case in 2007 when voting-related violence erupted in Kenya, which is a main conduit for its imports. Click here to read...
The founding head of al-Qaeda is dead. But radicalism continues to thrive in Egypt.
When US President Joe Biden announced the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al- Zawahiri on August 1, his family members in Cairo received news of his demise with shock and dismay. Click here to read...
Congo tests boundaries of democracy, climate action during Blinken visit
America’s top diplomat on Wednesday was hoping to showcase the potential for democracy and climate action here in one of Africa’s largest countries. But backsliding reality got in the way. Click here to read...
Ennahdha needs to change to save itself, and Tunisia’s democracy
Ennahdha is perhaps the only force remaining in Tunisia that can realistically act against President Saied’s autocratic regime – but to succeed, it needs to reform itself. Click here to read...
Police kill 3 in Somaliland opposition protests over vote
Police in Somaliland said they fired on opposition protesters Thursday amid tensions over an upcoming election, killing three people and wounding 27. Click here to read...
Tanzania, Zambia cross-border railway unlocks trade ties
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her Zambian counterpart, Haikande Hichilema, have agreed to upgrade the cross-border railway connecting the two countries to speed up economic progress as part of a broader push to strengthen ties. Click here to read...
Security expert warns UN Africa could be future IS caliphate
The Islamic State has expanded its influence beyond measure in Africa, with at least 20 countries directly experiencing the extremist group's activity, said African security expert Martin Ewi. Click here to read...
Again, Angola Overtakes Nigeria in Oil Production
Angola has again produced more crude oil than Nigeria for the third consecutive month, as Africa’s biggest economy lost 74,000 barrels per day in July compared with the previous month of June. Click here to read...
African countries seek to revive Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline dream
Nigeria, Algeria and Niger — keen to benefit from EU efforts to wean itself off Russian gas — are renewing efforts to implement a decades-old plan. But is there enough political will and funding for the project? Click here to read...
Fire At Church in Egypt's Cairo's Kills 41
A fire at Coptic Church in Egypt's Cairo killed 41 and injured 16 others. The fire broke out in an air conditioning unit in the church, Egypt's Interior Ministry said. Egypt's Coptic community and churches have been a target of religious-based violence in the past, reported CNN. Click here to read...
15 Soldiers Killed by Twin Blasts in Burkina Faso
At least 15 Burkinabe soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit several landmines in the northern region of the country. The number of those killed includes a rescue team that hit a second explosive while attempting to help the first vehicle. Click here to read...
Central African Republic President Says Successful Launch of Sango Coin a Key Milestone
According to Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, his country’s launch of the “Sango coin” currency, as well as the call for the creation of a common digital currency by the regional central bank, represent two key achievements for his country and all of Africa. Click here to read...
Electric cars changing the face of tourism in Tanzania
The advent of electric cars on the Tanzanian market has changed the way tourists visit National parks in Arusha and the whole of the Northern tourist circuit, the cars are silent and do not emit any carbon dioxide. Click here to read...
More than 150 endangered vultures poisoned in South Africa, Botswana
Birds died after feeding from carcass of buffalo, which appeared to have been laced with poison, conservationist says. Click here to read...
Tiny African kingdom enjoys some rare snow as Europe reels under heatwave
Visitors enjoy the snow at the Afriski ski resort near Butha-Buthe, Lesotho, Saturday July 30, 2022. While millions across Europe sweat through a summer of record-breaking heat, Afriski in the Maluti Mountains is Africa's only operating ski resort south of the equator. Click here to read...
Ivory Coast rains raise farmers' hopes for cocoa crop
Above-average rains last week in most of Ivory Coast’s cocoa regions could pave the way for an early and strong start to the October-to-March main crop if the weather remains favourable next month, farmers said on Monday. Click here to read...
INDIA IN AFRICA
India highlights the importance of Africa to the International Community in UN
India’s Charge d’affairs to the United Nations, R Ravindra highlighted the importance of the African Continent to the international community on the 9th of August 2022 (Monday) in a UN briefing. Click here to read...
India urges international community to pay ‘close attention’ to Africa
Extending its support to peacebuilding in Africa and establishing capabilities and capacities, India on Monday urged the international community to pay close attention to the African voice and wisdom. Click here to read...
Egypt hands India COP27 invitation
Ambassador of Egypt to India Wael Hamed, handed the Indian Minister for External Affairs Vellamvelly Muraleedharan, President Abdel Fattah al Sisi invitation for the Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi to participate in the UN Climate Change Conference [COP27] expected in November at Sharm al Sheikh. Click here to read...
Jaishankar wishes people of Chad on country’s Independence Day
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday extended greetings to the government and people of the Republic of Chad on the occasion of their Independence Day. Click here to read...
Jaishankar wishes people of Central African Republic on their Independence Day
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday extended greetings to the Government and people of the Central African Republic on their Independence Day. Click here to read...
Namgya Khampa appointed India’s High Commissioner to Kenya
Namgya C. Khampa has been appointed as the High Commissioner of India to Kenya, a press release by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Click here to read...
India woos Africa with trade, tech and investment
India is trying to strengthen its long-standing ties to countries on the continent as New Delhi attempts to catch up with China, which has emerged as Africa's largest trading partner. Click here to read...
India pledges commitment to end insecurity in Nigeria
The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Shri Balasubramanian, on Monday, pledged his country’s readiness to provide the needed support to end insecurity in Nigeria. Click here to read...
Trilateral Cooperation in Africa gets moving
Faced with China’s BRI and aggressive strategic intent, individual countries could not fulfil the challenge for an alternative to China. Thus, the concept of trilateral cooperation emerged. Click here to read...
Airtel Africa signs up for $125-mn credit pact with America's Citi
Airtel Africa has signed up for a USD 125 million revolving facility from American banking major Citi. Click here to read...
ONE adds Kenya to Middle East – India – Africa service
Ocean Network Express (ONE) has introduced a new port call in Mombasa, Kenya to its Middle East – India – Mozambique (MIM) service. Click here to read...
50 Indian companies invest total $3.15bln in Egypt: Ambassador Gupte
The major Indian investments in Egypt include TCI Sanmar Chemicals (with the largest investment of $1.5bln), Alexandria Carbon Black Company, Kirloskar Group, Dabur, FLEX P. FILMS, Scib Paints, Godrej, Mahindra, and Monginis. Click here to read...
After vandalism during unrest in South Africa, India-based Cipla reopens Durban manufacturing site
Indian generic drug manufacturer Cipla revealed that one of its plants in South Africa has reopened more than a month after it was vandalized during a period of civil unrest that claimed the lives of more than 300 and caused an estimated $3.3 billion in economic losses. Click here to read...
Mahatma Gandhi founded 3 football clubs in South Africa
It may appear that our dusty history books have done their part to enlighten us about Mahatma Gandhi’s magnificent figure — the lawyer, the anti-colonial resistance leader, and the political campaigner — all of which add to his reputation as the Father of the Nation. Click here to read...
