More than 200 starve to death in Tigray

More than 200 starve to death in Tigray

More than 200 people have starved to death since July in Edaga Arbi town, in Ethiopia's drought-hit and war-scarred Tigray region. Local authorities say another 16 have died in nearby Adwa town. According to the BBC, officials in Tigray have warned that the region is on the brink of famine on a scale last seen in 1984, prompting the global fundraising music event Live Aid the following year. The central […]

January 17, 2024 33

Africa

AfCFTA to boost regional trade by 80%

More than half of African countries will use the rules of a continental free-trade pact this year as the continent moves closer to fully integrating into a single market. According to Bloomberg News, AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene told a World Economic Forum panel in Davos Tuesday that of the 47 countries that have ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area, 31 will join the trade initiative, up from seven in […]

January 17, 2024 9

Africa

Cabo Verde’s malaria victory is a blueprint for Africa

By Bonface Orucho, via bird story agency Cabo Verde has achieved a significant milestone in the battle against malaria, securing malaria-free certification from the World Health Organization (WHO). In news released on Friday, January 12, WHO explained that indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes across the archipelago of 10 islands has been halted nationwide for the past three consecutive years. The country's certification is the fourth on the continent, […]

January 17, 2024 46

Africa

Culinary passion ignites Botswana’s spice industry: the flavorful journey of chef Cathy

By Mmapula Molapong, bird story agency "My memories of food are very powerful. My earliest memory dates back to when I was about eight years old. I absolutely adored going to the farm with my grandmother, we used to get up really early in the morning on weekends to harvest vegetables, sorghum and maize,” said Ompelege Moreosele, who is better known both in Botswana and South Africa as food […]

January 17, 2024 59

Africa

Uganda’s battle for the youth vote – how Museveni keeps Bobi Wine’s reach in check

By Rebecca Tapscott, University of York and Anna Macdonald, University of East Anglia Uganda is one of the youngest countries in the world, with an average age of 15.9 years. Young people aged below 30 make up about 77% of the country’s population of 47 million people. Young people have legitimate and wide-ranging grievances, from unemployment to disenfranchisement. Opportunities remain limited, with two-thirds of Ugandans working for themselves or […]

January 17, 2024 6

Africa

Zambia records worst cholera outbreak

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has requested emergency funds worth 4.6 million dollars to address Zambia’s worst cholera outbreak in recent years. 351 People have died and nearly 9,000 active cases have been registered.

January 16, 2024 43

Africa

United Nations begins withdrawal from DRC

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo is set to pull out 2000 troops from the east of the country by the end of April in the first phase of its withdrawal from the DRC. Chris Ocamringa has more from Kinshasa.

January 16, 2024 19

Africa

African nations unite in solidarity with Cuba

The 7th African Continental Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba is underway in South Africa. Those attending are from the Polisario Front, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Egypt, China, the United States, Iran, Mozambique, and Botswana. African National Congress deputy secretary-general, Nomvula Mokonyane has called on the African continent to unite in solidarity with Cuba. Meanwhile, the National Secretary of the French Communist Party Fabien Roussel on Monday reiterated his demand for […]

January 16, 2024 27

Africa

A tech hub for young women in Mombasa offers entry into the world of IT to girls and young women from all walks of life, whatever their background.

It's quiet at Pwani Teknowgalz, a tech training centre located in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa. A handful of young women are engrossed in activities on their laptops. By rights, Latifa Noor, 25-year-old software developer, should not be here. ”My journey before all this before becoming a software developer, started way back in highschool. A group of women came to our school with a project called STEM (Science, […]

January 16, 2024 20