African Union - The African Mirror

Dec

07

2020

Au chair ignores Ethiopian war

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER IN an extraordinary move, Cyril Ramaphosa, the chairperson of the African Union, delivered an opening address at the AU’s extraordinary 14th session on “Silencing the Guns” and did not mention the civil war in Ethiopia, which has left scores dead and unleashed a humanitarian disaster. Ramaphosa condemned the violence and the rise of extremism in the Sahel region, Mozambique and elsewhere but did not mention the war launched by the Ethiopian government on the people of Tigray. The AU chairperson said: “We condemn the acts of violence, terrorism and violent extremism as seen in the Sahel region…

Jan

30

2021

By The African Mirror

Somalia doesn’t want Kenyan forces

NEWS

ABDI SHEIKH SOMALIA says it has lost confidence in Kenyan troops serving in an African Union (AU) peacekeeping force, in the latest sign of worsening relations between the two neighbours. The friction could strain cooperation in the campaign against the Islamist group al Shabaab in Somalia, where the Kenya Defence Forces provide about 3,600 troops to the AU force. Last month, Somalia cut diplomatic relations with Kenya after accusing it of meddling in its politics. It recalled its diplomats from Nairobi and ordered Kenya's diplomats to leave Mogadishu. The government had lost confidence in the "KDF's ability to support the…

Jan

29

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa begins vaccines, Tanzania told to trust science

NEWS

GEORGE OBULUTSA Some African nations have begun administering vaccines against COVID-19, regional health officials said, though Tanzania's dissenting president was singled out for his trust in alternative remedies and God. John Nkengasong, director of the African Union (AU) bloc's disease control and prevention body, said a few countries had begun vaccinating: Morocco, Egypt, Seychelles and Guinea. "Guinea is very limited, just about 50 to 60 vaccinations have occurred. But these other countries have started mainly with the vaccine from China," he told an online briefing. In addition to 270 million doses previously secured, the AU has signed an agreement with…

Jan

28

2021

By The African Mirror

Ramaphosa urges businesses to contribute financially to vaccine Africa’s rollout

BUSINESS

AFRICAN Union (AU) Chair Cyril Ramaphosa has called on African companies and foreign companies that do business in Africa to contribute financially to the continent's efforts to roll out COVID-19 vaccines. Ramaphosa, South Africa's president, added during an AU webinar that telecoms firm MTN had offered to donate $25 million to the vaccine programme of the AU's disease control body to immunise healthcare workers.

Sep

09

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Give vaccines to Africa, ditch unproven third shot’

COVID-19

TIM COCKS RICH nations would do better to send vaccines to Africa to help fight the global COVID-19 pandemic rather than hoarding them for third-dose booster shots that scientific evidence does not back, the African Union's (AU) top health official said on Thursday. Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) director John Nkengasong told a news conference he was baffled some rich countries were disregarding World Health Organization (WHO) advice to hold off from booster shots until more people were fully vaccinated worldwide. "The problem we have with the third doses is: we have not seen enough science…

Jan

25

2021

By The African Mirror

Zambia allocated 8.7-million AU vaccines

COVID-19

ZAMBIA has been allocated 8.7 million doses of the 270 million COVID-19 vaccines secured this month by the African Union (AU), and this may rise to 25 million doses by December 2021, the Zambian mission at the AU has said. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who serves as AU chair, has said the vaccines secured by the AU will be supplied by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, through the Serum Institute of India, and Johnson & Johnson. They will be allocated according to countries' population size. "If member states have to buy individually, they have to wait until July 2022, but through this…

Sep

08

2021

By The African Mirror

“Let’s transform the fortunes of all Africans”

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER AFRICANS, including those in the diaspora, should use the experience garnered in the fight against COVID-19 to manage future pandemics, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said. In his remarks at the 1st Africa-Caricom Summit Heads of States and Government, Ramaphosa said the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the value and the necessity of confronting challenges together. Ramaphosa, a former chairperson of the African Union, said: “This pandemic has demonstrated the value and the necessity of confronting challenges together. From the onset of the pandemic, we developed a united African continental response strategy, established a special COVID-19 Response…

Sep

06

2021

By The African Mirror

Successes of African Human Rights Court undermined by resistance from states

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Human Rights Court) holds great promise in protecting human rights and ensuring justice on the continent. But it operates amid resistance by states and this threatens its effectiveness and very existence. LILIAN CHENWI, Professor of Law, University of the Witwatersrand The idea of a regional human rights court surfaced at the 1961 African Conference on the Rule of Law held in Lagos, Nigeria. African jurists at the conference called on African governments to create “a court of appropriate jurisdiction” that would be “available for all persons under the jurisdiction of the…

Jan

20

2021

By The African Mirror

EXCLUSIVE – COVID-19 shots to cost $3 to $10 in Africa

COVID-19

DAVID LEWIS and ALEXANDER WINNING AFRICAN countries will pay between $3 and $10 per vaccine dose to access 270 million COVID-19 shots secured this month by the African Union (AU), according to a draft briefing on the plan prepared by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and provided to Reuters. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who serves as AU chair, said last week arrangements had been made with the bank to support member states who want access to vaccines. Countries can pay back the loans in instalments over five to seven years, the document showed. Afreximbank's press office declined to answer…

Sep

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Malawi expects bountiful GM cotton crop as the African Union hones GM policies

BUSINESS

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD COTTON farmers in Malawi are reaping bountiful yields following the introduction of a genetically modified cotton variety, BollGard II in the 2019-2020 planting season. This follows more than a decade of back and forth in the formulation of policy regulation on genetically modified (GM) crops in the south-eastern African state. The African Union this week revealed that it was in the process of developing guidelines on the use of biotech crops across the continent, to ensure greater safety. The AU faces tough choices as it attempts to balance a growing need for food security and also meets…