insert_link Africa Senegal postpones elections There's an uneasy calm in Senegal after opposition protesters clashed with police outside the National Assembly after lawmakers passed a contentious bill to extend President Macky Sall's tenure and delay the elections after he called off a planned election with just three weeks to go. Nabil Ahmed Rufai reports from Accra. todayFebruary 6, 2024 11
insert_link Africa ‘Made in Africa’ gets a boost as cross-border trade gathers pace By Conrad Onyango, via bird story agency African leaders are beginning a push for increased consumer consciousness of ‘Made in Africa’ products as cross-border trade opens new opportunities for economic growth. Inaugurating South Africa’s first trade shipments under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), President Cyril Ramaphosa urged over 12 African trade ministers attending the 13th AfCFTA Council of Ministers meeting in Durban, to bolden their push […] todayFebruary 6, 2024 14
insert_link Africa 2024 U.S.-Africa Business Summit: Partnering for sustainable success; celebrating MCC’s 20 years of poverty-reducing development The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) is proud to announce that the 2024 U.S.-Africa Business Summit will take place in Dallas, Texas May 6-9, 2024, with the theme "U.S.-Africa Business: Partnering for Sustainable Success." CCA’s signature event, the U.S.-Africa Business Summit, is the premier platform focused on U.S.-Africa trade, investment, and commercial engagement that annually brings together African Heads of Government, Senior U.S. and African Government Officials, and […] todayFebruary 6, 2024 27
insert_link Africa bird TenX: Africa’s 10 busiest airports based on total passenger traffic By Seth Onyango, via bird story agency 1. Cairo International Airport (Egypt) – 20m Cairo International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in Egypt and serves as the primary hub for EgyptAir, Nile Air, and several other airlines. The airport has four terminals, one of which is dedicated to seasonal Hajj flights. The airport is located about 15 km from the city centre and offers various […] todayFebruary 6, 2024 2
insert_link Africa Somalia’s rekindled aviation industry By Conrad Onyango, via bird story agency The recent opening of Somalia’s first plane maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility is the latest indicator of the country’s efforts to revive a civil aviation industry that collapsed more than 30 years ago. Christened the Blue Hangar, the facility in Mogadishu is a key step towards an independent industry, according to local officials, as it offers local flight maintenance capabilities. […] todayFebruary 6, 2024 34
insert_link Africa Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger want to leave Ecowas. A political scientist explains the fallout By Olayinka Ajala, Leeds Beckett University Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have sent Ecowas, west Africa’s main political union of 15 countries, a formal notice of their withdrawal from the bloc. The three countries are governed by military rulers who have overthrown democratically elected leaders since 2021. The Conversation Africa’s Godfred Akoto Boafo asked political scientist Olayinka Ajala about the implications of the withdrawal. Why are Mali, Benin […] todayFebruary 6, 2024 3
insert_link Africa Livelihoods at stake as Lake Victoria’s papyrus swamps come under pressure Sarah Oginga harvesting papyrus reeds. Image by Patrick B. Newcombe. By Patrick Newcombe via Mongabay As the sun rises over the wetlands on the shores of Lake Victoria, papyrus harvesters set out into the swamps to harvest stalks of papyrus. At the docks, fishermen returning from a night’s work haul their boats onto the shore. The deep, ringing song of the papyrus gonolek (Laniarius mufumbiri) and the hooting of the […] todayFebruary 6, 2024 11
insert_link Africa Even many critics of the Rwanda deportation policy are missing the point of why it’s wrong By Ẹniọlá Ànúolúwapọ́ Ṣóyẹmí, University of Oxford The UK government’s proposals to send asylum seekers arriving to the UK onto Rwanda continue to spark intense opposition. This includes opposition from right-wing Conservative MPs who don’t think the plan goes far enough. Several recently attempted a rebellion against the latest bill, arguing that it failed to conclusively stop refugees from legally challenging their own deportation to Rwanda. The government’s […] todayFebruary 5, 2024 20
insert_link Africa Madagascar: giant tortoises have returned 600 years after they were wiped out By Grant Joseph, University of Cape Town A six-year-old project to return giant tortoises to the wild in Madagascar could result in thousands of the 350kg megaherbivores re-populating the island for the first time in 600 years. The first group of Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) were brought in from the Seychelles in 2018, and have been reproducing on their own since. Ecologist Grant Joseph explains how reintroducing […] todayFebruary 5, 2024 17