Latest Stories

POST COVID ERA

Post-coronavirus: More sorrow for Africa’s new oil and gas producers

The crash in oil and gas prices, triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and the slump in economic activity, has dealt a blow to the plans and ... public finances of major oil- and gas-producing countries. But a group of countries in sub-Saharan Africa once designated as “prospective producers” are facing a different challenge.

leader of the pack

Coronavirus: Nambia praised for containing the virus

The Republic of Namibia has been praised for its containment of the spread of the coronavirus. Its index case came mid-March, but for 45 days ... (7 April to 21 May) no new cases were recorded.

drippy leak

Leaked conversation: Libya’s Gaddafi sought to replace Saudi Arabia’s ruling family

Excerpts from a conversation between Muammar Gaddafi and an Omani official revealing how the former Libyan leader had called for a replacement ... for the Al Saud family as the head of Saudi Arabia, is fuelling dissension in the region.

biting back

Isabel dos Santos hits back with new accusations against Angola

The businesswoman has presented new evidence accusing the Luanda authorities of using falsified documents to freeze her assets. ...

balanced energy

Kenya’s renewable sector and women in the industry: Elizabeth Rogo AEC President East Africa

Kenya has one of the most active renewable sectors in Africa. Could it serve as a model to be followed by other countries across Africa? We ... find out more from Elizabeth Rogo, the African Energy Chamber President for East Africa on the energy sector and on being the only female in a top leadership role.

left-wing star

Aboubakar Soumahoro, the Ivorian trade unionist shaking up Italy

A former farm worker, the Ivorian/Italian trade unionist has become a leading figure in Italy to such an extent that the media portrays him as ... the country’s “new left-wing star”.

real world

Call to graduates during coronavirus: ‘Don’t forget how you stayed connected’

As we graduate from Harvard amidst the pandemic, we reflect on the juxtaposition of our relative privilege with the systematic marginalization ... of the artisanal miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As we go into the real world, we have to recognize the contribution of their labour to our education and commit to improving their lives.

Waiting Game

Nigeria VS Coronavirus: Fintech can prosper by surviving COVID-19

Nigeria’s biggest technology and telecoms players will benefit in the long term from the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenge is to protect small ... start-ups that represent the future of innovation. This third article of our series on the the impact of COVID-19 on Nigeria, looks at telecoms and technology.

Article 3/3 of "How will Nigeria navigate the pandemic"

justice in slow-motion

Rwanda: Can Félicien Kabuga really stand trial?

After 26 years on the run, the judicial outcome of the arrest of Félicien Kabuga, the alleged financier of the Tutsi genocide, will depend on ... the ability of international justice to rise above itself.

investing in the informal

Coronavirus: Nigeria’s informal economy hit hard

Nigeria’s informal economy has grown considerably over the last decade. ...

smooth sailing

Coronavirus: Reforms by Angola’s Lourenço helped mitigate effects of COVID-19

Big oil-producing countries have faced a double-hit in recent months: the sudden drop in prices of oil and the economic impact of the global ... pandemic. In the case of Angola, which entered both crises with an already weakened economy, how are its prospects looking? The Africa Report speaks to Sergio Pugliese, the Executive President for the African Energy Chamber (AEC), to find out.

getting hot

Ethiopia: Indefinite postponement of polls raising political tempers

Ethiopia's decision to postpone its August 2020 elections indefinitely has raised political temperatures in the country, as both the government ... and opposition parties accuse each other of attempting a power grab.

death of CFA franc

France: One step closer to ending the CFA franc

On 20 May, the French Council of Ministers passed a bill modifying its monetary agreement with the eight member states of the West African Economic ... and Monetary Union (UEMOA), following the unexpected CFA franc reform announced this past December.

POLITICAL PANDEMIC

Coronavirus: ‘People’s vaccine’ campaigners claim victory at WHO summit

The campaign for a vaccine against the cororonavirus to be recognised as a global public good – patent-free, produced at scale and internationally ... available  – is making headway. But progress is complicated by geopolitical rivalries between China and the United States as well as business interests.

course change

South Africa’s COVID-19 strategy needs updating: here’s why and how

Decision-making at the early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (the coronavirus causing COVID-19) was constrained by a paucity of medical evidence ... and epidemiological data. Knowledge gained over the past two months can therefore inform the next phase of the strategy.

fugitive justice

Rwandans will want Félicien Kabuga tried at home. Why this won’t happen

The man accused of supplying the funds to import the primary tools of the genocide – machetes – ahead of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide has been ... captured in France.

Talking Africa podcast

Ethiopia – Egypt: Tension spikes despite Renaissance Dam talks

Despite years of on-off talks, Ethiopia and Egypt are still unreconciled over the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. ...

Damage limitation

Nigeria VS Coronavirus: Corporate governance over capital strength

Corporate governance rather than capital strength is the main challenge facing Nigerian regulators and banks grappling with lending exposure ... to the country’s oil producers. In the second story of our series, we look at the impact of COVID-19 on Nigeria's economy as it considers the outlook for banks who have lent to oil producers.

Article 2/3 of "How will Nigeria navigate the pandemic"

learning curve

‘I am hoping the government has learnt from this pandemic,’ Nigerian Medical Association

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) is the largest medical association in West Africa, with over 40,000 members in the 36 states and the Federal ... Capital Territory, and about 19,000 members in the diaspora. The Africa Report speaks to its president about Nigeria's handling of the pandemic and what needs to be improved now and beyond.

hopping to problems

Hopping to another crisis: Locusts and coronavirus in East Africa

As if taken from the playbook of an infuriated deity, buzzing black clouds cast shadows across countless fields in rural Ethiopia. ...

Article 1/10 of "Corona Chronicles: 18 May – 22 May"