COVID-19 choking off supply of what Africa needs most, food
In a pre-dawn raid in food-starved Zimbabwe, police enforcing a coronavirus lockdown confiscated and destroyed 3 tons of fresh fruit and vegetables by setting fire to it. Wielding batons, they scattered a group of rural farmers who had traveled overnight, breaking restrictions on movement to bring the precious produce to one of the country’s busiest […]
Warning of long battle as Africa’s coronavirus numbers rise
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded its second coronavirus death on Friday as infections rose in South Africa, where the government warned bluntly of a long haul in the fight against the disease. Despite stringent restrictions ranging from flight bans to school closures, countries south of the Sahara have recorded two deaths in three days, and the case […]
Gabon reports sub-Saharan Africa’s second coronavirus death
The central African state of Gabon on Friday announced its first death from coronavirus — a 50-year-old man, who was also the second fatality in sub-Saharan Africa. The patient had recently been in France and died “from complications arising from diabetes and acute respiratory distress syndrome”, said Guy Patrick Obiang Ndong of Gabon’s coronavirus team. […]
Africa records more than 600 confirmed cases
12 countries experiencing local transmission By Sola Ogundipe There are more than 600 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in 34 countries in Africa as of 19th March, compared with 147 cases one week ago. Twelve countries in the region are now experiencing local transmission. Although the region has seen a significant increase in confirmed cases recently, […]
34 African countries report 640 COVID-19 cases as death toll reaches 16 ―Official
Around 640 COVID-19 cases have been reported in 34 African countries so far, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed on Thursday. Speaking in Addis Ababa, John Nkengasong, Africa CDC Director, said, “In Africa we now have around 640 COVID-19 confirmed cases coming from 34 countries. “The death count in Africa […]
DR Congo expels hundreds of Burundians for ‘illegal stay’
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday expelled hundreds of Burundians accused of staying illegally, an AFP correspondent saw. The Burundians were taken by police and troops to the port of Goma on Lake Kivu, located on the DRC’s eastern border, and placed aboard two boats, the reporter said. They were to be repatriated […]
I sparked Fela controversy —Alafrica
By Kennedy Mbele Your band is known as Alafrica. What does Alafrica mean? I am from Osun State. Alafrica Borokini is a word in my dialect. It means we have Africa. What is your background in music? You did some kind of training or you just have the talent? I have the talent from birth. […]
Coronavirus spreads to more African nations
The list of African nations hit by the coronavirus keeps growing, with Namibia, Rwanda, and Eswatini among those reporting their first cases. In Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, the health minister said the infected person is a 33-year-old who recently returned from a business trip to the U.S. In Namibia, the health minister announced at a press […]
147 coronavirus cases, 4 death in 15 countries in Africa
The World Health Organisation, WHO, Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, says there are now 147 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, COVID-19, in Africa in 15 countries and there have been four COVID-19-related deaths. The UN Health agency disclosed this in a statement posted on its website. It said that the agency had on Wednesday […]
Africa’s low coronavirus rate due to robust preps – Senegal expert
With just over 100 cases reported in total, Africa is on record as among the least impacted continents with respect to the coronavirus epidemic. Experts are however pointing at the gradual incidence of cases in recent weeks. Eleven countries have so far confirmed cases with the most recent being the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC. […]
2020 IWD: Google to train 20,000 women across Africa
By Juliet Umeh In honour of 2020 International Women’s Day, Search Engine platform, Google, Monday, announced plans to double commitment to African women and aims to train 20,000 women this year. According to Google, its new programme tagged: ‘Women Will,’ will train 5,000 women in 17 cities across Africa including Abeokuta, Abuja, Ado Ekiti, Ibadan, […]
Peace guarantees no meal in starving South Sudan
South Sudan villagers hear the distant roar of jet engines before a cargo plane makes a deafening pass over Mogok, dropping sacks of grain from its hold to the marooned dust bowl below. There is no other way to get food to this starving hamlet in South Sudan. There are no roads, and the snaking […]
Twitter’s Jack Dorsey reconsiders plan to spend 6 months in Africa
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said he will reconsider working remotely from Africa in 2020 due to the coronavirus and “everything else going on”. The CEO made the comments on Thursday at a Morgan Stanley conference after being asked if he would change how he spends his time travelling given “what’s going on in the world”. […]
Nigeria and new economic status in Africa
A map of NigeriaNigeria is charting the right path to economic growth and recovery. Nigeria recently moved up the ranks to reclaim its place as Africa’s biggest economy, putting the country’s gross domestic product at $476 billion or $402 billion, depending on whichever exchange rate used. This development is a result of a stifling economic […]
78-yr-old Ivory Coast president says will not run for third term
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said on Thursday he would not run in October’s election, ending months of speculation over whether he would seek a third term. October’s election is a major challenge for the Ivory Coast after its 2010-2011 ballot ended in violence between political rivals that killed 3,000 people. “I would like to […]
Coronavirus enigma: Experts ask why Africa seems to have few cases
The coronavirus is spreading fast beyond its China birthplace but sub-Saharan Africa, one of the world’s most vulnerable regions, has so far been almost spared — and experts want to know why. More than 2,760 people worldwide have died of COVID-19 and almost 81,000 infected in over 45 countries. Most of these have been in […]
