Latest Stories

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.

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"

finally found

Following the trail to capturing Rwandan genocide fugitive Félicien Kabuga

It took 26 years of Félicien Kabuga, the man suspected of financially backing the Tutsi genocide, evading law enforcement all over the world, ... before he was finally arrested on the outskirts of Paris last week.

bancassurance transformation

Sanlam seeks local partnerships in Tanzania

The South African insurer sees lots of potential in the market, but it needs bancassurance allies and better messaging to reach more ... customers

from bad to worse

Coronavirus: Andela, in search of a model, experiences run of bad luck

The pandemic has increased uncertainty among the start-up’s leaders as to the strategy to adopt to meet the needs of its market. ...

MIXED HARVEST             

Coronavirus: South African Distell trying to curb hit from pandemic

Distell has toasted the performance of its Kenyan operations, while it is mulling the sale of two premium wine farms and other cost-reduction ... measures in South Africa as it grapples with COVID-19 restrictions.    

Article 2/10 of "Corona Chronicles: 18 May – 22 May"

COVID reaches the top

Coronavirus: South Sudan’s Riek Machar latest victim of COVID-19

The South Sudanese Vice-President, Riek Machar, and his wife, Defence Minister Angelina Teny, will self-quarantine for the next two weeks, after ... testing positive for the coronavirus.

Article 4/10 of "Corona Chronicles: 18 May – 22 May"

Filling the Data Void

Coronavirus: Improving resilience in West African food systems

West African governments are responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19) by closing borders, banning foreign travellers, closing schools and implementing ... curfews to stop the spread of the virus. Many economic sectors in West Africa such as tourism, transport and entertainment, have slowed to a near standstill, putting millions of jobs at risk.

above the law

Coronavirus: Demolition of hotels in Rivers State illegal use of lockdown?

Many countries, including Nigeria, announced lockdowns to combat the coronavirus. Different states in Nigeria implemented their own policies. ...

Article 3/10 of "Corona Chronicles: 18 May – 22 May"

circle of friends

Kaduna’s el-Rufai: a man of golden networks

Widely praised for his work in Kaduna State, some wonder if governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, will build on that momentum and run for president ... in 2023. 

Naira Nightmares

Nigeria VS Coronavirus: Cutting naira’s umbilical dependence on oil

The fragility of the reserves being used to support the naira and it's revalued rate shows that Nigeria needs to find new ways of earning foreign ... currency. In the first story of our series on the impact of COVID-19 on Nigeria, we look how its economy considers strategies to reduce the naira’s dependence on volatile oil prices.

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