insert_link Africa Opposition accuses Togo government of extending President’s rule Tensions have risen in Togo as parliamentary and regional elections are underway amid controversy over a new constitution extending President Faure Gnassingbé's term. The BBC reports that opposition parties have accused the government of using the reform to extend Gnassingbé's family's 57-year rule, allowing him to potentially stay in power until 2031. todayApril 29, 2024 12
insert_link Africa Uganda’s tax system isn’t bringing in enough revenue but is targeting small business the answer? By Maria Jouste, United Nations University Uganda, with a fiscal deficit of 5.6% in 2023, has increasingly turned to local resources to make up for its revenue shortfall since the World Bank suspended its funding on 8 August 2023 over the country’s anti-homosexuality law. In early April 2024, traders in downtown Kampala protested against what they saw as high taxes and harsh enforcement tactics of the […] todayApril 29, 2024 8
insert_link Africa Sudan’s civil war is rooted in its historical favouritism of Arab and Islamic identity By Hamdy A. Hassan, Zayed University The current civil war in Sudan goes beyond a simple power struggle between two generals. It reflects a deep-rooted crisis within the country’s governing structure that’s been present since it gained independence from the British in 1956. Since independence, the Sudanese have experienced 35 coups and attempted coups, more than any other African country. In the country’s southern region a 56-year […] todayApril 29, 2024 4
insert_link Africa Margaret Busby: how a pioneering Ghanaian publisher put African women’s writing on the map By Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, University of the Witwatersrand Published in 1992, Daughters of Africa is a groundbreaking volume of writing by women of African descent. It was followed by an expanded second edition, New Daughters of Africa, in 2019. The mind behind the books is pioneering Ghanaian-born publisher, writer and editor Margaret Busby. She became the first Black female publisher in the UK at 20 when […] todayApril 29, 2024 10
insert_link Africa Kenyan doctors’ strike: the government keeps failing to hold up its end of the bargain By Kahura Mundia, University of Nairobi At least 4,000 doctors are employed in Kenya’s public healthcare sector. Almost all of them went on strike on 14 March 2024, demanding the implementation of a labour agreement signed with the government in 2017. The agreement promised higher salaries, better working conditions and the recruitment of doctors. The Kenyan government said it didn’t have the money to honour the agreement, […] todayApril 29, 2024 11
insert_link Africa Sierra Leone’s Energy Minister Resigns Amid Electricity Crisis Sierra Leone's Energy Minister, Kanja Sesay, resigned on Friday in the midst of a prolonged electricity crisis. His resignation came on the same day the government disclosed partial payment of outstanding debts owed to energy providers. Sesay took full responsibility for the crisis in his resignation letter. Following Sesay's resignation, President Julius Maada Bio's office announced that the energy ministry would now be directly supervised by the president. todayApril 29, 2024 9
insert_link Africa Nigeria is pioneering a new vaccine to fight meningitis – why this matters By Idris Mohammed, Gombe State University Nigeria recently became the first country to roll out a new vaccine (called Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which protects people against five strains of meningococcus bacteria. The Conversation Africa asked Idris Mohammed, a professor of infectious diseases and immunology and former board chair of Nigeria’s National Programme on Immunisation, to explain the new vaccine and its likely impact. […] todayApril 26, 2024 16
insert_link Africa Nigerians throw naira notes around to show love: but it could land you in jail By Abiodun Odusote, University of Lagos The legal implication of physically damaging the naira, Nigeria’s currency, came into focus recently with the prosecution of at least two celebrities by the country’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Nigeria has a law that prohibits what it terms abuse, which also includes writing on the notes or crumpling them. It also covers naira coins. The law was introduced in 2007 […] todayApril 26, 2024 20
insert_link Africa Zimbabwe’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry Permanent Secretary gives update on MoU with Namibia Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2014 signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the seventh session of the Joint Permanent Commission meant to strengthen bilateral trade and investment. Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Permanent Secretary Dr. Takaruza Munyanyiwa. todayApril 25, 2024 44
