Africa Now - Weekly Newsletter (Week 24, 2022)

Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent - news that matters.

COMMENTARY

Decoding The Gambian Voting System - Keep It Simple

On 4th December 2021, The Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa, held its presidential election. The successful election and transfer of power were a powerful message toward Gambia's successful transition into a democratic society. Click here to read... [2]

NEWS

New Somali President Inaugurated, Warns of Famine

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was inaugurated as the 10th president of Somalia Thursday in a colorful ceremony attended by hundreds of people, including the leaders of Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Click here to read... [3]

Mozambique elected to serve on UN security council

Mozambique was unanimously elected Thursday as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Click here to read... [4]

Algeria suspends trade ties with Spain over Western Sahara row

Algeria has suspended foreign trade in products and services with Spain amid an escalating dispute over the status of Western Sahara. Click here to read... [5]

Belgian king expresses ‘deepest regrets’ to Congolese

Belgium’s King Philippe expressed his “deepest regrets” for his nation’s abuses in its former colony Congo, telling lawmakers Wednesday on his first official trip to the country that Belgian colonial rule was unjustifiable and racist. Click here to read... [6]

Guinea Bissau President Embaló names new government

Guinea Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló on Thursday appointed a new government tasked with the preparation of the December 18 legislative election. Click here to read... [7]

Nigeria Ruling Party Picks Tinubu as Presidential Candidate

Nigeria’s ruling party selected Bola Tinubu as its presidential candidate in elections scheduled for next February, establishing him as the frontrunner to become the next head of state in Africa’s biggest economy. Click here to read... [8]

TikTok videos stoke tensions ahead of Kenya vote – Mozilla report
As Kenya’s general election draws closer, an increasing number of TikTok videos featuring “hate, incitement and other political disinformation” have been on the rise. Click here to read... [9]

Ethiopia willing to resume dam talks with Egypt, Sudan

Ethiopia has expressed interest in resuming talks with Egypt and Sudan on a huge and controversial Blue Nile dam which is expected to be Africa's largest hydroelectric power plant.

Equatorial Guinea vice president threatens to expel French ambassador

Equatorial Guinea's vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, threatened Friday to expel the French ambassador over a row triggered by a corruption case in Paris. Click here to read... [10]

Talks to end Sudan crisis begin as anti-coup groups boycott

Talks aiming at ending Sudan’s ongoing political deadlock began Wednesday, the United Nations said. Click here to read... [11]

UK judge allows first flight sending asylum-seekers to Rwanda to go ahead

The United Kingdom's controversial plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda as early as next week was green-lit on Friday. Click here to read... [12]

Djibouti Strategically Placed to Become Global ICT Center, Says Adesina

African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina met with President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti Guelleh and senior government officials. Click here to read... [13]

Turkey Delivers Six Bayraktar Drones to Niger

Turkey delivered six Bayraktar TB2 drones to Niger earlier this month as part of an arms deal Ankara signed with Niamey in November, Radio France Internationale reported. Click here to read... [14]

ISWAP blamed for church massacre in Nigeria

The Nigerian government has blamed an ISIL-affiliated armed group in the country for carrying out an attack that killed dozens of worshippers at a church. Click here to read... [15]

ECOWAS unhappy with Mali’s 24-month transition decision

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it regrets a decision by Mali’s interim government to delay the return to civilian rule by 24 months while negotiations between the two sides were ongoing. Click here to read... [16]

Libya oil shutdown expands with threat to close new port

A blockade of Libyan oil output by groups aligned with forces in the east of the country expanded on Thursday and Friday with the closure of two more export terminals. Click here to read... [17]

Uganda announces discovery of huge gold deposits

Uganda has announced that it has struck a deposit of 31 million tonnes of gold ore, with extractable pure gold estimated to gross 320,000 tonnes. Click here to read... [18]

Cape Verde, Togo to Open Consulates in Morocco’s Western Sahara

Cape Verde and Togo will will soon open general consulates in Dakhla, Western Sahara’s second largest city. Click here to read... [19]

Tunisia’s president, opposition battle over who will fold first

Tunisia is approaching a crossroads as President Kais Saied continues to clash with growing opposition to his proposed new constitution. Click here to read... [20]

Zimbabwe Leaning to Russia as Others Shun Moscow for Invading Ukraine

As much of the world is shunning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, Zimbabwe this month hosted Russia's third highest ranking official. Analysts say Zimbabwe is looking to Russia for fuel as well as cooking oil and wheat that it used to get from Ukraine, while Russia has its eyes on Zimbabwe's minerals. Click here to read... [21]

Chad declares food emergency as grain supplies fall

Last week, Chad declared a food emergency due to a lack of grain supplies. The landlocked African nation on Thursday urged the international community to help its population cope with rising food insecurity. Click here to read... [22]

Soldiers kill 9 villagers in Cameroon, investigation launched

Cameroon's government said Tuesday that a group of soldiers killed nine villagers, including an 18-month-old girl. The authorities called the incident a "manifestly disproportionate" and "hasty" response to a confrontation in the restive English speaking part of the country. Click here to read... [23]

South Africa’s president faces probe over unreported theft

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing a criminal investigation after a revelation that he failed to report the theft of about $4 million in cash from his farm in northern Limpopo provinceClick here to read... [24]

Russia launches production for Egypt’s nuclear power plant

Ukraine war not stopping Russia’s Rosatom from manufacturing equipment for Egypt’s first nuclear power plant. Click here to read... [25]

Zambia commissions China-funded modern conference center

Aerial photo taken on May 26, 2022 shows the Kenneth Kaunda International Conference Center in Lusaka, Zambia. Zambia on Tuesday commissioned an ultra-modern international conference center financed by China. Click here to read... [26]

Togo and Israel want to improve their cooperation, at the economic level especially

After more than 60 years of diplomatic relations, Togo and Israel have decided to actualize their cooperation. Click here to read... [27]

Morocco is Home to Africa's Fifth Largest Gold Reserves

Morocco's gold reserves are estimated at 22.12 metric tonnes (mt) and are the fifth largest in Africa, according to the German database Statistica. Click here to read... [28]

Total Energies ploughs $850 million into new Angola project

TotalEnergies and its partners have taken a final investment decision on an $850 million project in Angola to further develop the deepwater Clov complex in Block 17. Click here to read... [29]

Why the Central African Republic adopted Bitcoin

The Central African Republic's decision to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender came as a surprise to many, but the government argues that it will secure an independent financial future for the country. Click here to read... [30]

Botswana tight lipped on the value of its ivory stockpile

Botswana has remained mum on the value of its ivory stockpile despite a desperate campaign to have a decade-long ban on sales by the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) lifted. Click here to read... [31]

INDIA IN AFRICA

India is a “Friend in Need” says Tanzania

India and Tanzania share a multifaceted relation. Recently, Dy NSA Vikram Misri had visited the country followed by Def-Expo organised by India with participation of 16 Indian defence manufacturers. Water sector has also evolved as an important area of partnership in recent years. Click here to read... [32]

India committed to be Gabon's reliable partner, says Vice President Venkaiah Naidu

Venkaiah Naidu arrived in Libreville on the first leg of his three-nation tour of Gabon, Senegal and Qatar. Click here to read... [33]

MoS Muraleedharan Meets Malawi's VP; Explores Areas Of Cooperation Between Both Nations

After completing his visit to Zimbabwe, Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan met with the Vice-President of Malawi Dr Saulos Chilima and held a dialogue to explore various areas of cooperation between both the countries.Click here to read... [34]

India, Ghana holds consultations on UN, multilateral issues in Accra

India and Ghana held consultations on UN and Multilateral issues level in Accra on June 9 and discussed issues on the agenda of the UNSC, including on West Africa and Sahel region, and other issues related to counter-terrorism and UN Peacekeeping. Click here to read... [35]

India’s first wheat shipment to Egypt clears quality tests

The first Indian wheat consignment of 55,000 tonnes to Egypt has got through all government tests for quality and other parameters. Click here to read... [36]

India announces donation of 5,000 tonnes of rice to Madagascar as humanitarian aid

India’s Ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros, Abhay Kumar, called on the Prime Minister of Madagascar Christian Ntsay and announced the donation of 5,000 tonnes of rice to the island nation as humanitarian aid. Click here to read... [37]

India-Africa Trade Council appoints Gagan Arora, Founder Vertex Group as Trade Commissioner of Nigeria Division

Gagan Arora, the Founder of Vertex Group, has been appointed as the Trade Commissioner of India-Africa Trade Council Incharge of Nigeria Division at the India-Nigeria Trade Conference held in Delhi a few days ago. Click here to read... [38]

Outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles commends 22 completed projects

The outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles has said his tenure in the island nation has been a beautiful experience and over 20 projects have been accomplished. Click here to read... [39]

Morocco Showcases Outsourcing Opportunities in India

The Moroccan delegation paid a visit as well to the International Institute of Information Technologies to explore the research in the IT industry and discuss ways for future collaborations. Click here to read... [40]

India’s Saatvik to supply 9.3 MW of solar modules in Mauritius

Indian solar module manufacturer Saatvik Solar has won an order for 9.3 MW of modules to be installed at a solar project in Mauritius. Click here to read... [41]

Airtel Africa, Others Receive Notice to Pay About $180 Million to Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo has ordered mobile-phone companies operating in the African nation to pay a levy estimated at about $180 million a year. Click here to read... [42]

Rise and fall of Gupta brothers: An Indian-South African tale of politics, power, & corruption

Two of the three Gupta brothers- Rajesh and Atul Gupta- have been arrested by the UAE authorities for alleged corruption committed when Jacob Zuma was South Africa’s president. Click here to read... [43]

Book Review

‘Born in Blackness’ is a compelling, unforgettable read

In the first book in this year’s African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular, journalist Howard French shows how European explorers’ curiosity about a wealthy African king shaped the modern world. Click here to read... [44]