NEWS - The African Mirror

Mar

12

2024

South Africa’s ANC likely to lose parliamentary majority in May vote, survey shows

NEWS

SOUTH Africa's African National Congress (ANC) is likely to lose its parliamentary majority in May for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to power at the fall of apartheid 30 years ago, a survey showed, opening up the prospect of coalition rule. South Africans go to polls on May 29 to elect a new National Assembly, which will then choose the next president. A survey of voter opinion in February by Johannesburg-based think tank The Brenthurst Foundation and the SABI Strategy Group estimated support for the ANC at 39%, down from 41% in October and 44% in November…

Mar

12

2024

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Special Economic Zones are propelling Africa’s green hydrogen drive

NEWS

WHEN Egypt, a prominent player in green hydrogen development in Africa, recently announced seven new upcoming projects worth US$40 billion to be rolled out over the next decade, it noted that the projects would be positioned in one location: a special economic zone (SEZ). The new projects announced by Egypt's cabinet in February, together with ongoing developments not only in Egypt but around the continent, reaffirm Africa's place as a potential key supplier of green hydrogen, particularly to Europe. A 2023 report from the European Investment Bank predicts Africa could produce over 50 million tons of green hydrogen annually by…

Mar

12

2024

By ESTHER MUSEMBI, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Gloria Kisilu’s digital supply chain is turning rural artisans into global entrepreneurs

NEWS, MULTIMEDIA

WHEN Gloria Kisilu arrived at the Mwende Munyanya Women's Group in Katangi, some 100 kilometres from Nairobi recently, the women engaged in weaving sisal baskets paused their work and broke into song and dance. The women, whom Kisilu regards as both friends and business partners, have, thanks in large part to Kisilu, been able to continue a long-standing tradition of weaving baskets, called viondo. The technique they use has been passed down from generation to generation among Kenya's Akamba people. At 28, Kisilu could be some of the weavers' granddaughter. She has brought a fresh vision to the craft, as…

Mar

11

2024

By HAMZA IBRAHIM

Gunmen kidnap 15 students in dawn raid on Nigerian school

NEWS

GUNMEN kidnapped at least 15 students from a school in Nigeria's northwestern Sokoto state in a dawn raid, the school's owner and a resident said, days after some 300 students were abducted by a gang in northern Kaduna state. The gunmen forced their way into the school premises in the Sokoto village of Gidan Bakuso and started firing shots sporadically, waking and causing panic among the students, who ran for cover, said school owner Liman Abubakar Bakuso. "They succeeded in abducting 15 of my students, the oldest being 20 and 15, but all the others are below 13," said Bakuso by phone,…

Mar

12

2024

By PHILIP KOFI ADOM

Climate change: alarming Africa-wide report predicts 30% drop in crop revenue, 50 million without water

NEWS

AFRICAN countries will suffer significant economic loss after 2050 if global warming is not limited to below 2°C, a new study by the Center for Global Development has found. Environment and energy economist Philip Kofi Adom is the author of the report. He synchronised many years of research by climate change scientists and researchers and found that West and East Africa will fare worst. We asked him about his findings. PHILIP KOFI ADOM, Associate Professor, School of Economics and Finance, University of the Witwatersrand You found climate change will reduce Africa’s crop earnings by 30%. How will this affect people?…

Mar

12

2024

By EL TAYEB SIDDIG and KHALID ABDELAZIZ

Sudan army general rules out Ramadan truce unless RSF leaves civilian sites

NEWS

A top general from Sudan's army has ruled out a truce in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan unless the paramilitary group it is battling leaves civilian and public sites. The statement by Yasser al-Atta, a deputy commander of the army, comes after the army claimed advances in Omdurman, part of the wider capital, and an appeal by the United Nations Security Council for a truce during Ramadan, which begins this week. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it welcomed the ceasefire call. Atta's statement, issued on the army's official Telegram channel on Sunday and based on comments he made the previous day…

Mar

11

2024

By The African Mirror

Senegal opposition coalition promises new currency and revamp of oil contracts

NEWS

A Senegalese opposition coalition backed by popular firebrand Ousmane Sonko launched its presidential campaign platform on Saturday with promises to create a new national currency and renegotiate mining and energy contracts. There are no public election opinion polls in Senegal, but the coalition's candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, is seen as a strong contender among the 19 candidates vying for the presidency in the March 24 vote. If he is elected, the coalition's plans could have significant implications for the eight-nation West African Economic and Monetary Union and for Senegal's plans to become an oil producer later this year. "Convinced that full independence…

Mar

12

2024

By The African Mirror

Libyan leaders agree to form new unified government

NEWS

THREE key Libyan leaders said they had agreed on the "necessity" of forming a new unified government that would supervise long-delayed elections. A political process to resolve more than a decade of conflict in Libya has been stalled since an election scheduled for December 2021 collapsed amid disputes over the eligibility of the main candidates. The leaders are the president of the Presidential Council (PC) Mohamed Menfi, the head of the High State Council (HSC) Mohamed Takala, who are both based in Tripoli, and Aguila Saleh, speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) in Benghazi. In a joint statement, the…

Mar

11

2024

By The African Mirror

Congo prosecutor seeks 20-year jail sentence for journalist

NEWS

A prosecutor in the Democratic Republic of Congo has asked a court in the capital Kinshasa to sentence journalist Stanis Bujakera to 20 years in prison, one of his lawyers said. Bujakera, a Congolese national who works for international media outlets including Reuters, was detained on September 8 and later charged with spreading false information about the death of a prominent opposition politician. He denies the charges. "The prosecutor has requested that our client be sentenced for the sum of all offences to a cumulative penalty of 20 years, and the payment of one million Congolese francs ($364)," Bujakera's lawyer,…

Mar

11

2024

By The African Mirror

Central African bloc lifts Gabon sanctions

NEWS

THE Economic Community of Central African States agreed to lift sanctions on Gabon and reintegrate it into the regional bloc, six months after suspending its membership in response to a coup that ousted President Ali Bongo. Member states decided at a meeting in neighbouring Equatorial Guinea, Gabon's Foreign Minister Regis Onanga Ndiaye said in a televised address late on Saturday. There was no statement from the bloc, but in a post on X Burundi's Foreign Minister Albert Shingiro confirmed an agreement to lift sanctions was reached at the meeting, which he had attended. Soon after the August 30 coup, the bloc…