The Africa Edition©️ 02 August 2024

At least two Ethiopian local governments have ordered the closure of dozens of businesses found hiking prices of basic commodities after the central bank floated the national currency, officials said on Thursday. The Ethiopian birr weakened by 28% against the dollar this week after the central bank adopted a market-determined foreign exchange rate to secure a new International Monetary Fund lending programme and to put debt restructuring back on track. “The businesses were caught making unreasonable price increases mostly on food items … The stocks were imported before the new exchange rate,” said Sewnet Ayele, a spokesperson for the Addis Ababa City Trade Bureau. Some 71 businesses have been affected by the closure order, Sewnet said. The main commodity whose price has gone up is cooking oil, which is selling at 25%, or 300 birrs, more, said a trader in Addis Ababa, who did not wish to be named.

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KENYA/CAR

Mpox outbreak in Kenya and CAR

Kenya and the Central African Republic have declared new outbreaks of mpox as Africa’s health officials race to contain the spread of the disease in a region lacking vaccines. Nairobi announced the outbreak on Wednesday, after a case was detected in a passenger traveling from Uganda to Rwanda at a border crossing in southern Kenya. The Central African Republic was the first to declare a new outbreak on Monday, saying it extends to its capital of Bangui…Although the mpox epidemics in the West were contained with the help of vaccines and treatments, barely any have been available in parts of Africa where several countries have reported outbreaks in recent months. The worst hit on the continent is Congo, which has recorded more than 12,000 cases and at least 470 deaths this year in its biggest outbreak. South Africa, which last recorded an mpox case in 2022, has also reported an outbreak this year.

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KENYA

Court nullifies 2023 finance law in new blow to Ruto

Kenya’s Court of Appeal on Wednesday declared the government’s 2023 finance law unconstitutional, inflicting a new blow to the government of President William Ruto who withdrew this year’s finance bill after deadly protests. The finance bills, which are presented to parliament at the start of every financial year, are the main vehicle for the government to set out its revenue-raising measures including tax hikes and the introduction of new levies.

The 2023 version was challenged in court following a round of political opposition-led street protests that turned violent, after Ruto’s government used it to double the value added tax on fuel, introduce a housing tax, and raise the top personal income tax rate, among other measures. “A further declaration is hereby issued that the failure to comply with this constitutional dictate renders the entire Finance Act, 2023 unconstitutional,” a three-judge bench of the Court of Appeal said in a ruling. The government, which has been relying on the 2023 finance law to continue collecting taxes after Ruto withdrew this year’s bill, did not immediately comment on the ruling.

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Trail of President Ruto’s legal setbacks

Over the past year, President William Ruto’s administration has suffered major legal setbacks in the courts, with at least four consequential decisions impacting the regime’s defining moments. From the quashing of 50 appointments of Chief Administrative Secretaries to decisions on revenue mobilization measures and the universal health coverage agenda, the President’s team has been kept busy defending laws that had faced intense criticism in Parliament, only to end up losing in court. The President’s supporters are now turning their focus on the judiciary, accusing it of judicial activism. The latest setback is the Court of Appeal’s declaration that the Finance Act 2023 is unconstitutional, null, and void. A three-judge bench held that the process leading to its enactment was flawed as it failed to consider public views on various sections…”When every or various decisions of the Executive are stopped by the courts by way of judgment, it brings embarrassment to the office of the President. It stops the wheels of policy formulation and implementation from running,” says Governance Expert Javas Bigambo. The growing list of the government’s legislative and policy interventions that have been overturned has escalated the frustration of some leaders within the government, who are now directing their anger at the judiciary.

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Opinion: The ‘ungoverning’ of Kenya.

Since the beginning of antigovernment protests in June, Kenya is living through a period of ungoverning, in which institutions and rules are being undermined by the state itself.

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SOUTH SUDAN/KENYA

Kenya-led talks stall over alternate structure

The Kenyan-mediated South Sudan peace talks have stalled over creation of alternate structures, sparking concerns that a delay could derail success of the process after the parties agreed on eight protocols. The talks, dubbed The Tumaini Initiative, were taking place between the national unity government led by President Salva Kiir on the one hand and the hold-out groups on the other. The holdout groups are a collection of armed and political dissidents who did not sign the 2018 peace agreement. The members of the delegation representing the government at the talks included representatives from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) under President Kiir, members of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) a key stakeholder in the September 2018 peace deal. The SPLM-IO, led by the First Vice President Riek Machar, withdrew from the talks, saying the agreement had been drafted in a way that either undermined the current structures created by the 2018 peace deal or ran parallel to it. In a statement, the leader of Real SPLM, Pagan Amum said the negotiations stalled after the armed opposition withdrew from the process, prompting the delegation representing President Kiir and other parties to follow them to Juba for further consultations with constituent organizations and structures.

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SUDAN

Army chief Burhan defiant after drone strikes army base

Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan struck a defiant tone on Wednesday after a drone hit an army base he was visiting in eastern Sudan, casting doubt on recent efforts to bring an end to a 15-month civil war. A statement by the army said the attack took place at a graduation ceremony at the Gibeit army base, about 100 km (62 miles) from the army’s de facto capital Port Sudan in Sudan’s Red Sea state, and that five people were killed. Witnesses confirmed that Burhan was at the base when the drone struck on Wednesday morning. Official sources said he remained in the area and returned to the base to speak to troops, contradicting earlier reports that he had left for Port Sudan. An adviser to the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the army’s rival in the war, denied that the paramilitary force was responsible for the strike.

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TANZANIA

“Govt is forcibly relocating Indigenous Maasai” – HRWatch

Tanzania has been forcibly evicting Indigenous Maasai from their ancestral lands, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report says. It found that the government aims to relocate more than 82,000 people from lands it has earmarked for “conservation and tourism purposes”. The programme, launched in 2022, aims to move people living in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), home to the Maasai for generations, to Msomera village, which is roughly 600km (370 miles) away. Amid the push, tension has erupted between the authorities and the nomadic community, at times resulting in deadly clashes…Tanzania’s government has consistently maintained that its relocation scheme observes the country’s laws regarding rights.

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WEST AFRICA

GHANA

Court bans planned protests against cost of living

A high court in Ghana has blocked civil society groups from holding protests in the capital Accra, one of the organisers said, joining other African governments in trying to quell youth-led demonstrations over the high cost of living. Organisers said the protests would draw over two million people onto the streets to demand more action from President Nana Akufo-Addo on corruption and living conditions, as well as to protest delays in signing an anti-LGBT bill into law. High court Justice Abena Afia Serwaa approved a request by Ghana’s police to ban a handful of organisations from carrying out protests planned between July 31 and August 6 after the police said it lacked the personnel necessary to provide security as officers have been deployed to political rallies amid election campaigning for elections. A wave of youth demonstrations has swept across several African countries in recent weeks. Ghana’s protest organiser Mensah Thompson said “Young people are poised to demonstrate with or without the approval of the authorities,” he said. “A time comes when they will spontaneously jump on the streets and we will have a ‘Kenya’ on our hands.”

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Mahama would renegotiate IMF deal if he regains presidency

Former Ghanaian president John Dramani Mahama will try to renegotiate terms of an International Monetary Fund bailout and boost local ownership of future oil and mining projects if he wins a new term in office in December, he told Reuters. Mahama, who was in office from 2012-16, will be the main challenger to the ruling party’s candidate, Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia, with a good chance to win given a severe economic crisis that has made the government unpopular. Ghana defaulted on most of its $30 billion external debt in 2022 after the effects of years of overstretched borrowing were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, knock-on impacts of the war in Ukraine, and higher global interest rates.

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GUINEA

Court finds former leader guilty in 2009 stadium massacre

A court in Guinea found former leader Moussa Dadis Camara, 60, and seven other accused military commanders guilty of crimes against humanity in a 2009 stadium massacre. Their charges, which included murder, rape, torture and kidnapping, were reclassified to crimes against humanity, the court said. In the 2009 incident, tens of thousands of people had gathered at a stadium in Conakry to press Camara not to stand in a presidential election the following year. Many were shot, stabbed, beaten or crushed in a stampede as security forces fired teargas and charged the stadium.

At least a dozen women were raped by security forces, prosecutors said during the trial…The former leader, who escaped from prison in November last year during an armed jailbreak but was later recaptured, sat impassively in court dressed in a black and gold traditional bubu robe as the verdict was read. Camara was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Another high-level official, Lieutenant Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite, sometimes known as “Toumba”, received a sentence of 10 years in prison due to his cooperation with the court.

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MALI

Air strikes on rebels who killed many soldiers and Russians

Mali has carried out air strikes on insurgent targets in and around the town of Tinzaouaten, in its vast northern desert, after ethnic Tuareg rebels and Islamist fighters killed a large number of Malian soldiers and their Russian allies in recent days. Mali’s army and the Russian private military company Wagner both said they had suffered losses between July 22 and 27 in the Tinzaouaten area, on the border with Algeria, in what appears to be Wagner’s worst setback on African soil. The Malian army said late on Tuesday that it had attacked what it called a “coalition of terrorists” in the Tinzaouaten area jointly with forces from its neighbour Burkina Faso, which is also run by a pro-Russian military regime. The Tuareg rebel group that was involved in the earlier fighting, known as the Permanent Strategic Framework or CSP, its acronym in French, condemned the air strikes and said a drone operated by Burkina Faso had killed dozens of civilians.

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NIGERIA

At least 3 killed in Nigeria at protests over high cost of living

At least three protesters were killed in Nigeria’s Kaduna state on Thursday, reporters and eyewitnesses said, as demonstrators rallied across the West African nation against rising cost of living and governance issues. Kaduna state police spokesperson Mansur Hassan said the police fired tear gas at protesters and not live ammunition. Also police fired tear gas in the capital city Abuja to disperse crowds of protesters, according to eyewitness accounts. Protesters demonstrated in Abuja, the commercial capital Lagos and several other cities to show discontent with economic reforms that have led to rampant inflation and inflicted increasing hardship on ordinary Nigerians. President Bola Tinubu has vowed to pursue the changes that he says are needed to keep the country afloat. Authorities deployed armed security personnel in an effort to preempt potential violence.

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Protesters in Nigeria demonstrate over high cost of living

Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds of protesters in Nigeria’s capital city Abuja on Thursday, as thousands rallied against escalating cost of living and governance issues in Africa’s most populous nation, according to eyewitness accounts. Protesters demonstrated in Abuja, the commercial capital Lagos and several other cities to show discontent with economic reforms that have led to rampant inflation and inflicted increasing hardship on ordinary Nigerians. President Bola Tinubu has vowed to pursue the changes that he says are needed to keep the country afloat. Authorities deployed armed security personnel in an effort to preempt potential violence. In Lagos, armed police watched as protesters marched towards the government house and then proceeded to two locations that were authorised for the protest. Some shopping malls in the city were shut and guarded by a heavy police presence. Inspired by protests in Kenya in June that led to the government there scrapping some planned tax increases, Nigerians are mobilizing online to demand the reinstatement of subsidies for petrol and electricity, free primary and secondary education and measures to combat insecurity, among other demands. In Abuja, the military mounted roadblocks along the highway leading into town, while some protesters gathered at a stadium. Youths demonstrated in the city of Maiduguri, the hotbed of a militant insurgency in the northeast of the country, in the face of a heavy security presence, to voice their frustration at the government and its policies.

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TOGO

President keeps PM – promises new government

Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe has retained Victoire Sidemeho Tomegah-Dogbe as prime minister and a government will be formed in the coming days in line with a new constitution, the presidency said on Thursday. The new charter, adopted in March, has stoked tensions in the coastal West African nation with some opposition and civil society groups condemning what they say is Gnassingbe’s bid to extend his 19-year rule longer than previously expected.

Tomegah-Dogbe, who has served as Togo’s first female prime minister since 2020, is a member of the ruling Union for the Republic party that won a sweeping majorityin an April legislative election that was delayed twice due to the wrangling over the constitution. Togo has seen years of resistance to the Gnassingbe family’s rule. The president was first elected in 2005 to succeed his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who took office after a coup in 1967.

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SOUTHERN AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA

Miss South Africa contestant faces backlash over Nigerian father

A South African beauty pageant contestant with a Nigerian father has been subjected to relentless online abuse and interrogations of her right to compete for the Miss South Africa title, as a persistent strain of xenophobia against immigrants from other African countries has resurfaced. Since Chidimma Adetshina, a 23-year-old law student who was born in Soweto and lives in Cape Town, was announced on 1 July as one of the contestants in the running to represent South Africa at the Miss Universe pageant, there has been constant questioning of whether she is a South African citizen. In recent days, politicians have waded into the debate, media figures have come to her defence and TV news and talk radio shows have discussed her nationality. Adetshina said last week that, after about three weeks of the unexpected online onslaught – including questions over whether she favoured Nigeria after a video of her celebrating with Nigerian relatives went viral – she began to ask whether it had been worth entering the Miss South Africa competition…“The intense scrutiny and vitriol aimed at Adetshina reveal a continued colonised mindset among many South Africans,” the leftwing Economic Freedom Fighters party said in a statement. It said that white and Asian former Miss South Africa contestants with foreign parents had not received the same “Afrophobic” scrutiny.

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Merely being born in SAfr is not enough for citizenship

According to Home Affairs Deputy Minister, Njabulo Nzuza, being merely born in South Africa is not enough to determine the citizenship of a child. For a child to obtain citizenship by birth in South Africa, one of the two parents must be a South African citizen, naturalised or permanent resident. Nzuza’s statement comes amid afrophobic attacks aimed at Miss SA hopeful Chidimma Adetshina. Born in 2001 in Soweto to a Nigerian dad and a South African mom with Mozambican roots, Adetshina has faced afrophobic and xenophobic attacks on social media, with South Africans questioning her citizenship. She is a South African citizen. Nzuza said they have not received any specific request to investigate the citizenship status of the Miss SA contestant’s parents.

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’Slave Auction’ pupils suspended from school

Four schoolchildren in South Africa are to face a disciplinary hearing over a viral video in which black students are seen being auctioned off as slaves, confirmed the authorities in Cape Town. The footage, showing pupils in a cage while other students bid for them, caused outrage when it was shared on social media last Friday. It comes as two other schools in the country – where white-minority rule ended three decades ago with the election of anti-apartheid fighter Nelson Mandela as president – are dealing with alleged racist incidents.

“It is disturbing that these incidences continue to occur 30 years into democracy” the South African Human Rights Commission said, adding it was even more distressing that they had occurred in schools. The four Pinelands High School students believed to be behind the mock auction are currently suspended. In the footage of the mock auction, children can be heard calling out various bids of up to 100,000 rand ($5,400; £4,200). “Going once… going twice… sold!” one boy can be heard shouting. Slavery in Cape Town dates back to the 1650s when the Dutch colonised the peninsula and thousands of enslaved people were brought to the region from south-east Asia, Madagascar and Mozambique.

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NORTH AFRICA

ALGERIA

France faces Algeria’s wrath after concessions to Morocco over Western Sahara

France was dreaming of escaping the fatality of a “zero-sum game” in North Africa, the dilemma whereby any warming up with Morocco implies a cooling down with Algeria, and vice versa. But after Algiers withdrew its ambassador to France on Tuesday, July 30, a few hours after President Emmanuel Macron’s letter to King Mohammed VI on the 25th anniversary of his reign, France’s gamble now looks complicated, even if the threshold of irreparability has not yet been crossed. In the letter, Macron told Mohammed VI that France now recognized the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara, dating from 2007, “under Moroccan sovereignty” was the “only basis” for resolving this conflict at the heart of the regional rivalry between Rabat and Algiers. Until now, Paris has simply considered this prospect, put on the table by Morocco in 2007, to be “a serious and credible basis for discussion,” refraining from expressly mentioning “Moroccan sovereignty” in this context. After three years of tensions provoked by an increasingly offensive, even aggressive Morocco – a consequence of the recognition of the “Moroccan sovereignty” of Western Sahara in December 2020 by Donald Trump, then president of the US – France bowed to pressure from Rabat. The stalemate in its relationship with Algeria, where attempts at reconciliation, notably on the subject of remembrance of the Algerian War, supported by Macron have failed to bring the expected results, was a major contributing factor.

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Le Monde Editorial: France’s North African dilemma

By adopting Rabat’s position on the Western Sahara, Paris has made a major diplomatic shift, marking the failure of its reconciliation policy with Algiers.

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MOROCCO

King invites Macron for state visit after Western Sahara position

King Mohammed VI invited French President Emmanuel Macron for an official visit, after Paris announced a position in support of Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. This came in a letter from the king to Macron, welcoming Paris’s “clear support for Morocco’s sovereignty over this part of its territory.” The Western Sahara dispute, dating back to 1975, pits Morocco, which considers the territory as its own, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks an independent state there. Macron had sent a letter to the King on Tuesday recognizing the Moroccan autonomy plan as the “only basis” to reach a political solution to the conflict, while considering “the present and the future of Western Sahara within the framework of Morocco’s sovereignty.” Both the Polisario and Algeria condemned the French position. Algeria withdrew its ambassador to Paris in reaction.

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AFRICA- GENERAL NEWS

How Africa’s ‘ticket’ to prosperity fueled a debt bomb

Credit ratings were meant to help sub-Saharan countries tap global investors to fund much-needed development. But low scores, heavy borrowing and bad luck have left many struggling with crushing bond debt. In 2002, Africa seemed poised to rise. Wealthy creditor nations were wiping billions of dollars of unsustainable debt off the books of sub-Saharan countries, and global demand was surging for the commodities the region exports, supercharging hopes of a sustained economic boom. The United Nations, backed by the United States, had a plan to fuel the expansion: sovereign credit ratings. These metrics — essentially an informed guess of a nation’s ability to repay lenders — would for the first time allow a wide swath of the poorest region on Earth to tap yield-hungry investors in the global bond market. And the cash borrowed wouldn’t come with strict controls on how it would be spent, as is the case with financing from multilateral institutions like the International Monetary Fund. The U.N. heralded the initiative as “an assault on poverty in Sub-Saharan African countries.” Given the troubled economic history and conditions of sub-Saharan Africa, it came as little surprise that the Big Three (U.S.-based credit rating agencies — S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Ratings and Fitch Ratings) gave most countries below-investment-grade, or “junk,” ratings. Those low scores meant the countries had to pay higher interest rates on their bonds to attract investors who might otherwise balk at the risk. The thinking at the time was that African countries’ ratings would improve, and their cost of borrowing decline, as their growing economies allowed them both to repay their debts and invest in development. Instead, the push for credit ratings set these nations on a path to debt many could not afford. Over the past two decades, more than a dozen sub-Saharan countries borrowed nearly $200 billion from overseas bond investors.

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Africa races to increase vaccine manufacturing capacity, concerns rise over Europe’s control

As Africa races to be more independent in vaccine production, Europe is seeking greater control in building and scaling of local manufacturing hubs. In June, France hosted the launch of African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) an approximately US$1 billion project geared towards making vaccines more available in Africa – away from African soil. Only 2% of vaccines in Africa are made on the continent- most of them made in South Africa, among few countries with ability to produce vaccines. The African Union wants to raise that percentage to 60% by 2040. “France and Europe have supported this ambition since 2021 with 1.3 billion euros, but we can do more,” said French president Emmanuel Macron at the Global Forum for Vaccine Sovereignty and innovation in Paris. At the forum, European Union member countries committed to contribute more than US$ 750 million- including up to US$ 220 million from the EU budget, making them the largest contributors to the financial instrument. The African Union, represented by the leaders of Botswana, Rwanda, Senegal and Ghana, represented the continent in the launch of the financial instrument, which is backed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — a public-private partnership that provides vaccines to developing countries. More than three years ago, Africa faced huge inequalities during the global distributions of COVID-19 vaccines, exposing its inefficiencies and vulnerabilities to pandemic shocks – where African countries struggled to access vaccines, testing equipment and treatment tools bought by richer countries in large quantities.

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Social Media gives youth a voice but some Governments are shutting them down

24-year-old Edward Awebwa was sentenced to 6 years in prison for hate speech against Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Awebwa was convicted under the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act, 2022, for using the TikTok account, “Save Media Uganda,” to post a video that insulted the president and the entire first family. For those in the know, it’s a reflection of how African governments are cracking down on dissent on social media. As citizens have increasingly gone online to complain about their dissatisfactions with their governments, more leaders and lawmakers on the continent have moved to pass laws to curb and outright punish people who express their disapproval. The names for these laws vary across countries but the purposes are similar, ostensibly a copycat syndrome where African leaders derive and devise these acts from their counterparts. This is in response to the prominence of social media, not just as a tool for expression but also as a medium for organizing into real-time activism. Uganda is a pioneer with regard to laws that target digital dissent…Dr. Stella Nyanzi, poet-activist and then lecturer at Makerere University, was arrested in 2017 for posting a poem criticizing Uganda’s first lady and president for failing to deliver sanitary pads to schools. She was released on a non-cash bail shortly after. In May, Malawian citizen Sainani Nkhoma was convicted of insulting President Lazarus Chakwera, with a judge stating that his actions were inappropriate…Under former President John Magufuli, who passed away in 2021, more than 10 people were charged for insulting the president on platforms like WhatsApp, a precedent that has now continued with Hassan.

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GOOD NEWS AFRICA

NEWS

Drop in South Africa’s rhino poaching linked to dehorning programmes

South Africa recorded 229 rhinos poached in the first half of 2024, a slight decline from the same period last year, and the government said global cooperation is essential to save the rare animals. Poaching poses the biggest threat to the rhino population in South Africa where at least one rhino is killed for their horns every day. Rhino horns – made primarily of keratin, a protein also found in human hair and fingernails – are prized in some East Asian countries for traditional medicine and jewellery. While the decline in poaching was only marginal, environment minister Dion George said there had been a significant drop in numbers in the months of May and June due to dehorning programmes carried out in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. Poachers – who collaborate with international crime syndicates – shifted their focus to KZN in recent years after surveillance and dehorning programmes were stepped up in the country’s famous Kruger National Park.

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The Kenyan enthralled by the healing power of plants

Martin Odhiambo has always been interested in the healing properties of plants – and for years has been enthusiastically sharing that knowledge with fellow Kenyans. Every Thursday, at the Nairobi National Museum, he talks to dozens of people who have come to learn and exchange information about traditional medicine. Despite worries over the efficacy and safety of these treatments, it is estimated that around 80% of people in African countries rely on them when they are ill, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). But for now Mr Odhiambo is keen to let others know about plant remedies he believes can deal with common illnesses, such as colds, skin conditions and stomach upsets. He argues that long before the onset of conventional medicine, there were traditional healers who knew from those before them what was good for treating which condition. The information exists within communities, but does not really travel further.

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Doctor behind trial of HIV prevention drug recounts breakthrough moment

When the doctor behind the trial of a new HIV prevention drug heard the results, she could not contain her emotions. “I literally burst into tears,” said Prof Linda-Gail Bekker. “I’m 62, I’ve lived through this epidemic … I had family members who died of HIV, as did many, many Africans – many people around the world,” she said. The problem of how to prevent HIV infection, particularly in teenage girls and young women, had seemed “intractable”, Bekker said. But lenacapavir had offered thousands of women aged 16 to 25 in South Africa and Uganda 100% protection.

The drug could give young women greater agency over their lives and sexuality, she hopes, and potentially eliminate mother-to-child transmission of the virus.

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Green economy could generate 3.3m jobs across Africa by 2030 – report

A greener economy could bring millions of jobs to some of the largest countries in Africa, according to a new report. Research by the development agency FSD Africa and the impact advisory firm Shortlist predicts that 3.3 million jobs could be generated across the continent by 2030. Forecasting Green Jobs in Africa predicts that 60% of the roles, mainly in the renewable energy sector, will be skilled or white collar positions that can “spur the growth of the middle class in countries with high-growth sectors” such as renewable energy, e-mobility, construction and manufacturing. The report was based on forecasts from five countries – the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa – that the study says will see more than a fifth of the jobs expected from the green transition over the next six years.

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Uganda region uses signed pledges to curb domestic violence

The drunken man kicked the saucepan off the fireplace, demanding to know why dinner was not ready. Then he struck his wife with a piece of firewood, triggering a fight. They grappled before being separated. The skit about domestic violence had been staged for the benefit of villagers in western Uganda. Some looked puzzled. Some were amused. But others watched in horror as drama mirrored reality. A local nonprofit group says domestic violence is so widespread in this part of Uganda that it’s hard to find a woman who hasn’t been affected. The mountainous district of Bundibugyo is about 400 kilometers from the capital, Kampala. Representatives of the group, Ourganda, affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, said they were compelled to act in 2022 when they encountered a woman and her child who had been attacked by her drunken partner. The child’s head had swollen, and his mother worried he might die. The group, working in 10 villages, focuses on instilling fear in offenders as much as educating them. An accused perpetrator is asked to sign a “reconciliation form” in which they pledge never to commit the same offense. Signing the form prevents an escalation that might lead to police involvement, but the form is also kept as evidence for possible prosecution if the agreement is breached, said Vincent Tibesigwa Isimbwa, Ourganda’s leader in Bundibugyo. Only five of about 100 people have violated the agreement so far, he said.

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Giraffes bring peace to Kenyan communities once at odds*=

The Rothschild’s giraffes, a distinct subspecies, are being resettled in the Ruko Conservancy in Baringo County as part of a long-running initiative to ease communal tensions there. While the East African nation is renowned for its spectacular wildlife, its northern counties such as Baringo are more often in the news for banditry and ethnic clashes. The rival Pokot and Ilchamus communities in Baringo had been at odds for decades, their feuds sometimes escalating into armed clashes. In the mid-2000s, Pokot and Ilchamus elders took matters into their own hands, launching an initiative to resettle the Rothschild’s, or Nubian, giraffes into the Ruko conservancy around 280 kilometers north of the capital, Nairobi. The goal was twofold: reintroduce an endangered species to a region it had previously deserted, and restore peace to the two communities. The elders hoped the world’s tallest mammals would attract tourists and income, quelling tensions in the neglected region by providing employment in an area where many young people — like elsewhere in Kenya — struggle to find jobs.

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This woman-led, ride-to-own electric bike initiative in Ghana is powering sustainable livelihoods and earning carbon credits

As an e-mobility company, Ghana’s Wahu Mobility is working to change how vehicles impact the climate, and on growing job opportunities for the youth. Expansion plans from the women-led company target women riders in neighbouring countries. What started as a project in the northern part of Ghana with the converting regular motorbikes to electric bikes with the help of like-minded friends, birthed what is known today as Wahu Mobility. The startup describes itself as an Electric Vehicle (EV) company that manufactures eco-friendly motorcycles providing a reliable source of income for youth. Adutwum Hagar Adutwumwaa, an engineer at Wahu Mobility, originally trained in marine engineering. Her curiosity led her to Wahu, where she oversees quality checks and bike assembly. Despite joining the company just six months ago, she’s already made a significant impact. “It has been an amazing journey… I have learnt new things. Now I make batteries from recycled lithium iron cells,” Adutwumwaa said. Being the only woman among men during her study internship and national service, Adutwumwaa was happy to find other female colleagues who are also engineers at Wahu Mobility.

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A young agri-entrepreneur star is teaching others how to succeed in small-scale farming

With a sustainable poultry and crop farm, a diploma in HR management and her first book published, you’d think that Ntobeko Thokozisile Mafu would be content to simply focus on building her business. But this young woman is determined to do more for her society. Mafu was standing in her garden presenting to 30 people who appeared to hold on to her every word as she detailed how she had created a sustainable small-scale broiler and crop farm. Mafu is the founder and Chief Executive Officer at Madam Clucks A Lot and Madam Leafy Green. The former is a broiler-rearing enterprise and the latter a crop-farming enterprise. The 30 trainees were the latest group amongst some 160 people Mafu has trained in just the past year, running them through the basics of running any business, admin, marketing, and bookkeeping. Depending on their key interests, she then shares knowledge on either small-scale crop farming or small-scale chicken farming. Some of the people she has mentored have gone on to start their own businesses, according to Mafu, who in just four years has also won multiple business pitching and incubation programs offering moderate grants and prizes that have helped her further her business.

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World Heritage Status for three sites in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal

The 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee recently proclaimed World Heritage status for three sites in the Western Cape and Kwazulu-Natal. The three sites are: Diepkloof Rock Shelter close to Elands Bay in the Western Cape; Pinnacle Point Site Complex in Mossel Bay in the Western Cape; and Sibhudu Cave in KwaDukuza in KwaZulu-Natal. Western Cape Provincial Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Ricardo Mackenzie, said: “ The exceptional preservation of these sites, amidst the challenges of climate change and rising sea levels stand as testaments to our ancestors’ resilience, ingenuity, and adaptation to environmental changes.” He pointed out that the integrity and authenticity of these places have been carefully preserved thanks to the tireless efforts of international multidisciplinary teams of specialists. Their effort, which Mackenzie said adheres to the greatest standards of archaeological technique, has guaranteed that the findings are preserved and will continue to disclose new insights as research advances.

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Sub-Saharan Africa made rapid progress against HIV

For the first time, the majority of confirmed new HIV cases last year were recorded outside of sub-Saharan Africa.That’s according to the UN Global Aids Update 2024, which had mixed news this week. While it noted that Aids-related deaths have halved globally since 2010 – with particular progress made in sub-Saharan Africa – cases in other regions are rising. “For the first time in the history of the HIV pandemic, more new infections are occurring outside sub-Saharan Africa than [within],” the report said. “This reflects both the prevention achievements in much of sub-Saharan Africa and the lack of comparable progress in the rest of the world.” Cuts to health services and backsliding on human rights in some countries has made it harder for people, particularly marginalised groups, to access care, said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAids. “World leaders pledged to end the AIDS pandemic as a public health threat by 2030, and they can uphold their promise, but only if they ensure that the HIV response has the resources it needs and that the human rights of everyone are protected,” added Byanyima.

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Gambian politicians upheld the country’s FGM ban

Politicians in the Gambia have voted to uphold the country’s ban on female genital mutilation (FGM), heading off an attempt by hardliners to repeal the law.

The ban was introduced to the west African nation in 2015, amid opposition from some Muslim clerics. According to Uniccef, a humanitarian aid organisation, Gambia has the ninth-highest rate of FGM in the world. “Although we regret attempts by campaigners to try and overturn the ban, we are pleased to see politicians live up to their commitments to end FGM,” said Binta Ceesay, women’s rights manager at the charity ActionAid Gambia. “Since FGM was banned nearly a decade ago, we have made encouraging strides in ending the practice, but it has not been enough. After voting to uphold the ban, we encourage politicians to redouble their efforts in ending this form of violence against women and girls forever.”

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African Leaders can be financially modest — if they want to

Liberian President Joseph Boakai recently shared that he will be cutting his monthly salary by 40 percent. “This announcement reflects his determination to lead by example in strengthening government accountability and demonstrating solidarity with the people of the nation,” a statement from the presidency read last weekend.Immediately after the news broke, chatter ensued across social media, primarily because African leaders are not known to voluntarily reduce their income. Boakai’s reduction was partly in response to lawmakers who came to parliament in tricycles regularly used by Liberian citizens, in protest of not receiving official vehicles. Boakai campaigned on the back of wide-ranging reforms, and his salary reduction is meant to set the tone for fiscal responsibility and financial modesty by government officials. As laudable as the slash is, there’s some skepticism as to its effectiveness. George Weah, Boakai’s immediate predecessor, announced a 25 percent cut to his salary after assuming office in 2018, but there was little transparency as to what he was paid, and citizens routinely complained about his and other government officials’ lavish lifestyles while the cost of living kept rising. In a complicating wrinkle to his goodwill, there’s the fact that parliament, not Boakai, has the power to set his salary. Also, the country’s annual budget makes provisions for other allowances for the presidency, which could plug any gaps left by the voluntary reduction. On the more optimistic side, however, Boakai disclosed in February that his monthly salary was $13,400, which means his salary after the 40 percent cut would be $8,040.

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Standard Bank commits $1Million to African Union Peace Fund

Africa’s largest bank by assets and with operations in 20 markets on the continent, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the African Union Peace Fund to help the African Union (AU) in its resource mobilization efforts for peace across the continent. The MoU was signed during the African Union Peace Fund High Level Resource Mobilization event held on July 20, 2024, at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra, Ghana. The agreement will see Standard Bank Group make a total contribution of USD 1 million over the next 5 years. The African Development Bank (AfDB) estimates that 85% of the 1.3 billion Africans live in countries facing conflict or in neighboring nations affected by post-conflict situations. As a result, the African Union (AU) has intensified its efforts to promote peace through preventive actions. Yinka Sanni, Standard Bank Africa Regions Chief Executive, highlighted the significance of this partnership. He said: “…a stable business environment inspires market confidence, safeguards assets and investments from conflict-related risks, and enables businesses to expand their market reach and explore new growth prospects. Anticipated reductions in trade barriers through the AfCFTA will allow companies to access previously untapped markets with a lower likelihood of supply chain disruptions.”

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Drones are whizzing lifesaving supplies across the ‘Last Mile’

Drones are helping to solve similar issues in remote regions around the world. Unmanned flights have brought vaccines for babies and pregnant women to a remote village in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Rural communities in Uruguay are receiving medicines and breast milk. Stellat’en First Nation community members in northern British Columbia have avoided long trips to the closest pharmacy with prescription deliveries via drone. And drones are starting to be used in the US to deliver medications to people’s homes. Rwanda, Malawi and Ghana were among the first countries to explore the potential of drones in health systems. In some African regions, unpaved or washed out roads hinder distribution of medical supplies. Weather extremes also play a role: High temperatures can impact sensitive materials, like vaccines and test samples. Drone companies have particularly had an impact on the delivery of emergency medical supplies that can be difficult to keep in stock because of scarcity or storage restrictions, such as supplies related to blood transfusions. The Silicon Valley-based company Zipline started working in Rwanda in 2016 with a focus on blood products. Access to blood for transfusions is particularly important for maternal mortality. Worldwide, severe bleeding is the largest cause of death related to childbirth; in Rwanda, postpartum hemorrhaging was the cause of 22.7 percent of maternal deaths between 2009 and 2013.

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ARTS & COLLEGE

On creating ‘Iyanu,’ an authentic Nigerian story, for everyone

In 2025, Roye Okupe and YouNeek will be releasing their long-awaited debut animated series, Iyanu, which is adapted from the Dark Horse-published graphic novel, Iyanu: Child of Wonder. In the story, the titular character, a young orphan, uncovers her newfound powers and uses it to save her people from an ancient curse. Iyanu is produced by the black-owned animation company, Lion Forge Entertainment, and will be available to watch in 44 African countries via Showmax when it premieres. In the U.S, the series will be shown on Cartoon Network and Max. It’s a huge leap from the self-published animated pilot for Malika: Warrior Queen, based on the graphic novel of the same name. As the show’s creator and one of its executive producers, Okupe tried to make sure Iyanu would be an authentic story, as it’s inspired by the Nigerian and Yoruba culture. He also wanted to make a show that would be universally relatable. “One of the biggest things that’s important to me is that I tried to make Iyanu for everyone,” he says. “I never want to get lost in the fact that you want to be very authentic to Nigerian culture, Yoruba culture, but I want Children and adults all over the world to be able to see themselves in our characters.” The series stars Serah Johnson in the lead role, while the rest of the voice cast includes popular Nigerian actors including Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Stella Damasus, and Blossom Chukwujekwu.

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What It’s Like To…Be the First Black Woman to Own and Conduct an Orchestra in South Africa

Not once did Ofentse Pitse think that she’d one day be the first Black woman in South Africa to own and conduct an orchestra, or be one of the youngest to do so on the continent. She also didn’t imagine that Alicia Keys would hand-pick her to conduct a 74-person orchestra comprising women of color from different parts of the world, or that she’d team with Kabza de Small for a first-of-its-kind amapiano extravaganza. The 32-year-old Pretoria-born conductor credits her mother with instilling the resilience that has enabled her to achieve so much in the little time that she’s been practicing professionally. Pitse’s family was active in the Salvation Army, which is how she found herself playing trumpet for its brass band. She says that conducting happened organically — from starting her own choir to adding one instrument after another, and then finally setting up the entire ensemble in 2019. Pitse, whose 40-piece orchestra (and 25-person choir) is called Anchored Sound, counts her home country’s leading conductors Thami Zungu and Gerben Grooten as mentors.

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Africa’s best selling books of all time

Over the past century, African writers have written about their lives, experiences, culture, history, and myths in a variety of forms, styles, and languages. They have been widely published across Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Asia. They’ve written in English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Swahili, and several other indigenous languages. They wrote, and write, with exceptional originality, flair, and sincerity. From Chinua Achebe, considered to be the father of modern African literature, to Trevor Noah who is part of the new-age crop of writers; African literature continues to stay relevant and as educative as it is entertaining and enlightening. Although not exhaustive, this list puts together some of Africa’s best selling books of the past century.

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12 books by African writers you need to read this summer

Pemi Aguda’s highly anticipated short story collection, Ghostroots, places a central focus on ancestry, heritage, and supernatural elements rooted in African traditions; Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom follows the story of Gifty, a neuroscientist dealing with her family’s struggles, history, addiction and depression and her own quest for understanding, and explores the intersection of family, faith, and mental health; ‘The Sex Lives of African Women’ by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is on African women’s sexuality and feminist subjects; Do you need an epic story if you’re Zimbabwean? Your novel is called House of Stone. Novuyo Tshuma gives just that in the 2018 book that spans 50 years, shifting how we read, invent, and rediscover national histories. More:

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Five performances that highlight Toumani Diabaté’s greatness

The family of Toumani Diabaté announced the passing of the iconic Malian musician after a brief illness. Diabaté was 58 and was widely referred to as Mali’s “King of Kora,” hailed for his preternatural and otherworldly mastery of the West African stringed harp instrument. Born to a line of griots, Diabaté traced his lineage back to 71 generations of musicians and storytellers. His father, Sidiki Diabaté, was a prominent musician who was also referred to as “King of Kora,” until he took the mantle from the late ‘80s onwards. Diabaté leaves a towering legacy behind, having released well over a dozen albums, some of which were created in collaboration with artists from all over the world. He was also an accomplished performer, holding audiences spellbound by his prowess. In memory of glorious life, here are five performances that will no doubt lure you to revere Diabaté — if you don’t already.

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A Kenyan in Tokyo: Navigating world’s most populous city

Harriet Ocharo is a Kenyan research scientist living and working in the bustling Japanese city of Tokyo, home to some 37.1 million inhabitants. She’s also a single mum, raising two children. Here, she offers an authentic glimpse of her daily life and routine, its challenges and its triumphs.

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OLYMPICS

Tatjana Smith wins first gold medal for Africa at Paris 2024

The first gold medal to be won by an African athlete at the ongoing Paris Olympics belongs to South African swimmer Tatjana Smith. She won the women’s 100m breaststroke final, finishing the race in 1:05.28. Her winning mark hover around the same time — 1:05.22 — that earned the silver medal at the last Olympics in Tokyo. This is her second Olympics gold medal win, after she did the same in the women’s 200m breaststroke event in Tokyo. This time around, she will be looking to do the double, winning both 100m and 200m breaststroke events at the same Olympics, a feat that has only been achieved by the South African swimming great Penelope Heyns. South African sports journalist Mbulelo Thinta explains that Smith’s win is more remarkable because she fell out of love for swimming and wasn’t looking to compete at this summer’s Olympics. This gold medal firmly makes her one of South Africa’s greatest Olympians and she has a chance at a historic double that will vault even further into the highest echelons of greatness. “Smith’s own Olympics tally has now grown to three, with two golds and a silver, and one more will see her equal Chad le Clos on four, the most of any South African Olympian,” said the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC).

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How Weini Kelati Went From Asylum Seeker to Olympian

The Eritrean-born runner is making her first Olympics as an American, a decade after she chose to seek asylum there at the age of 17. When Weini Kelati crossed the finish line in first place at the United States Olympics Trials in June, she held her head in shock. It was a dramatic finish for the 10,000m race, which was decided in a neck-and-neck push to the win by Kelati. She pushed herself to win despite having already achieved the Olympic standard. “I knew I was going to do it, but I felt that at the same time, I was in disbelief,” she told media outlets after the race at the legendary Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. It is at this same track a decade ago that Kelati made a life-changing decision to seek asylum in the U.S. after taking part in the World Junior Championships for the Eritrean national youth team. The story of how she intentionally chose to miss her return flight and seek asylum has become a folklore that has followed Kelati’s rise to become one of the U.S.’s most promising runners at the Paris Olympics. “I get pretty emotional every time I come here because I have the memory of when I left my family,” she said of Hayward Field. “I was just 17 at the time, but growing up in Africa, you learn to figure it out from a young age. I felt like I could make that decision by myself and handle anything that life throws at me,” she said in an interview with Runner’s World. Now, at 27, Kelati has built her name as a long distance runner while becoming a state champion at her high school in Virginia, an NCAA champion, a 13-time All-America honoree at the University of New Mexico, and now, a professional athlete sponsored by Under Armour.

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Kenya and Ethiopia to Extend Their Decades-Long Running Rivalry at Paris Olympics

The two East African countries are heading to the 2024 Olympics competing for gold medals and bragging rights. Some of the greatest names in long-distance running hail from two East African nations that border each other — Ethiopia and Kenya. The two countries are sending some of their best to the Olympic Games in Paris this year, hoping to win multiple gold medals, and — more importantly — bragging rights. Although Kenya has won more Olympic medals in track and field — 106 to Ethiopia’s 58 — both countries will be vying to see who will leave Paris with the most Olympic medals this year…And there will be many greats to watch compete this year, such as Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, the current world record holder in the 1500m race going for her third Olympic title in her favorite distance. Kipyegon will be competing against Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, the 5000m world record holder who is looking to medal in three races in Paris. Among the men, many will be looking to the likely final Olympics match-up between Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, who has held the world record over multiple distances, and Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, who is looking to reclaim his marathon record and win his third consecutive Olympics gold in the event.

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VIDEO

The Interpreter: A king’s messenger in Ghana

The traditional role of a king’s interpreter and messenger involves diplomacy, sensitivity and, most of all, trust. In Asamankese, in Ghana’s Eastern Region, Okyeame Anim is the interpreter and messenger for the king of the Akyem Abuakwa kingdom. He speaks on behalf of the ruler of one of the largest clans in Ghana, acting as mediator in the king’s court, relaying the king’s rulings on disputes and customary law. He also liaises on the king’s behalf with the chiefs beyond the court. This traditional role comes with its own trappings and customs, to signify the seriousness of each occasion, and is an honour for the appointed interpreter.

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Luxury cars from scratch

An engineer in Nigeria is aiming to create a new industry for his country with his unique made-in-Nigeria car prototype.

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Easing the daily commute of the diabled

A Kenyan entrepreneur is helping people in wheelchairs get around in a country that is hard for people with disabilities to navigate. Through his company, Ace Mobility, users can hail cars and drivers equipped to accommodate disabled passengers

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Young Ethiopian Space Program graduates aim for the skies

A group of young African students is shooting for the stars thanks to a program called ‘Pathways to Space.’ Aerospace company Boeing and a South African science organization backed an education program that just celebrated its first batch of graduates.

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How Nigeria Health Watch helped bring solutions journalism to Nigeria and beyond

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