insert_link Africa UN Aid Chief Warns of Catastrophic Hunger in Sudan United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths has cautioned the Security Council about the potential for nearly five million people in Sudan to face catastrophic hunger in the upcoming months. In a note seen by Reuters, Griffiths highlighted that acute levels of hunger are being fueled by various factors, including the severe impact of conflict on agricultural production, damage to infrastructure and livelihoods, disruptions to trade flows, significant price increases, obstacles […] todayMarch 18, 2024 5
insert_link Africa Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger hint at a new west African currency: what it’ll take for it to succeed By Thierno Thioune, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar On 11 February 2024, the head of Niger’s ruling military junta, General Abdourahmane Tiani, spoke of the possible creation of a common currency with Burkina Faso and Mali. “The currency is a first step toward breaking free from the legacy of colonisation,” he said on national TV, referring to the CFA franc inherited from French colonisation. Burkina Faso, […] todayMarch 15, 2024 14
insert_link Africa El Niño threatens Zimbabwe’s corn production Zimbabwe has warned that farmland planted with corn has shrunk by 12% because of scorching El Niño weather patterns, threatening the nation’s food staple and potentially triggering surging prices and social unrest. We contacted Eddie Cross an economist from Zimbabwe for his comment. todayMarch 14, 2024 35
insert_link Africa Zimbabwe police rescue children from alleged cult farm Police in Zimbabwe say they have arrested the suspected leader of a religious cult in a village in northern Mashonaland West province and rescued dozens of women and children. The BBC reports that Ishmael Chokurongerwa, who leads the Gore Jena Penyeranyika sect was arrested alongside seven other senior members of the cult on Tuesday. Police said most of the 251 children found at farm in Nyabira, about 34km north-west of […] todayMarch 14, 2024 26
insert_link Africa Inflation in Nigeria is still climbing while it has slowed globally: here’s why By Stephen Onyeiwu, Allegheny College Just as Nigerians were gradually digging out from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were hit by high inflation. The Nigerian economy contracted by 6.1% at the peak of COVID in the second quarter of 2020. Unemployment rate rose from 27% in the second quarter of 2020 to 33% in the fourth quarter of the same year. The World Bank estimated […] todayMarch 14, 2024 19
insert_link Africa Appetite from local investors fuels surge in African startup funding By Seth Onyango, bird story agency Despite a steep downturn in startup funding in Africa since 2022, more African investors are channelling substantial investments into homegrown enterprises. This is a marked departure from the previous years, when North American investors, particularly from the U.S., led the charge in startup funding across the continent. Analysis from Africa: The Big Deal identified at least 619 unique investors who participated in […] todayMarch 14, 2024 32
insert_link Africa Corrupt, brutal and unprofessional? Africa-wide survey of police finds diverging patterns By Matthias Krönke, University of Cape Town and Thomas Isbell, University of Cape Town Africans generally have a low regard for the quality of policing on the continent. Perceptions of police misconduct, corruption and brutality are widespread, according to a new survey by Afrobarometer. The independent research network surveyed 39 countries between 2021 and 2023. Our survey offers new evidence of how Africans experience and assess their […] todayMarch 14, 2024 12
insert_link Africa Botswana celebrates Geingob’s life Botswana President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, says the late President Hage Geingob contributed to the excellent relations between Namibia and Botswana. Masisi made the remarks during a memorial service held for the late President Geingob in Gaborone, Botswana on Wednesday. President Geingob, who died at the age of 82 in Windhoek, was buried at Heroes’ Arce on 25 February 2024. todayMarch 13, 2024 44
insert_link Africa Kagame agrees to meet Tshisekedi over eastern DRCongo crisis Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has agreed to meet with his Democratic Republic of the Congo counterpart Felix Tshisekedi to discuss the ongoing crisis in eastern Congo. The agreement, according to the BBC, followed a meeting on Monday in Angola's capital Luanda between Kagame and Angolan President João Lourenço, the African Union's mediator, in the DR Congo crisis. Rwanda's presidency said on X that the two leaders "agreed on key steps […] todayMarch 13, 2024 12
