African Union - The African Mirror

Sep

01

2021

AU crafts guidelines for GM crops

NEWS

WENDELL ROELF THE African Union is developing guidelines for the use of genetically modified (GM) crops across the continent, officials said, amid criticism from campaigners that some policies favour big business and lack adequate public input. Despite a concerted push by donor-funded schemes to expand the use of such crops in Africa, they have not been widely adopted by the millions of small-scale farmers that make up the backbone of the agricultural sector. Only seven countries - South Africa, Sudan, eSwatini, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria and Kenya - have approved the commercial production of GM crops, mainly insect-resistant cotton, the African…

Feb

02

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria expects 41 million vaccine doses from AU

COVID-19

ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM NIGERIA expects to receive 41 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from the African Union, the head of the country's primary healthcare agency said on Monday, while the health minister said vaccines from Russia and India were being considered. Authorities in Africa's most populous country, which has 200 million people, plan to inoculate 40% of the population this year and another 30% in 2022. The African Union initially secured 270 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from manufacturers for member states. Last week it was announced that the bloc would receive another 400 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Faisal Shuaib, who…

Feb

08

2021

By The African Mirror

African Union must reform to stay relevant – Nigeria’s Buhari

NEWS

FELI ONUAH THE African Union must conduct a comprehensive reform if it is to stay relevant, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said at the close of the bloc's two-day summit yesterday. Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation and the largest economy on the continent, making it an influential member of the 55-nation bloc that was formed to promote international cooperation and harmonise member states' policies. The bloc decided in 2016 it needed to work on changes to make it more nimble, focused and accountable, putting Rwanda's President Paul Kagame in charge of the process. "Global realities demand that the AU be…

Feb

06

2021

By The African Mirror

South Africa hands over chairship of African Union

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER South Africa will today relinquish its role as chair of the African Union (AU). The AU is scheduled to hold a virtual two-day 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. At the summit South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will, as outgoing chairperson, hand over the leadership to his successor President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The South African government yesterday outlined the country’s key achievements during its tenure as chair. In a statement, the SA government said: “This included the historic advent – on 1 January 2021 – of…

Feb

05

2021

By The African Mirror

“The media plays a significant role in nurturing and sustaining a culture of democracy”

MEDIA FREEDOM

JAMESINA E KING THE African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is considered as an arm of the African Union, founded in 2003 to promote good governance on the continent. Its process provides a platform for experience sharing, reinforcing best practices and building a bridge between citizens and governments. Our core mandate is to conduct country reviews to assess how member states are performing in the four main governance aspects known as APRM Thematic areas; namely democracy and political governance; economic governance and management; corporate governance; and socio-economic development. Therefore, as APRM, we recognize that the media plays a significant role in…

Aug

06

2021

By The African Mirror

African Union’s J&J vaccine shipments begin

COVID-19

MAGGIE FICK AFRICAN Union officials have revealed that the body had begun shipping COVID-19 vaccine doses acquired from Johnson & Johnson, but they raised alarm at the pace of total deliveries to a region where only 1.5% of people are fully vaccinated. The AU's COVID special envoy Strive Masiyiwa said the start of the J&J shipments marked a step forward for the continent of more than 1.3 billion people, but in a news conference, he called Africa's situation regarding vaccine deliveries a "crisis". Africa remains in the grip of a third wave of the pandemic, and in the past four…

Feb

20

2021

By The African Mirror

Russia offers 300 million doses

COVID-19

ALEXANDER WINNING and JOE BAVIER THE African Union's (AU) vaccine task team has disclosed that Russia had offered it 300 million doses of its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine along with a financing package for countries wanting to secure the shots. The Russian vaccine will be available for a period of 12 months starting May 2021, it said in a statement. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad, said some deliveries could start in May but most would be from June. The 55-member AU hopes to see 60% of the continent's 1.3 billion people…

Feb

16

2021

By The African Mirror

What African countries can expect from Biden: and what they should ask for

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PRESIDENT Joe Biden delivered his first public statement on US foreign policy last week. Africa was not mentioned. Does this suggest the continent will be absent from the new administration’s considerations? JOHN J STREMLAU, Honorary Professor of International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand I think not. Firstly, the day after his speech, the new president addressed the 34th Summit of the African Union (AU), which was meeting virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He reiterated his commitments to active diplomacy and multilateralism in concert with the AU. All US efforts would be consistent with America’s core democratic values, which are…

Feb

26

2021

By The African Mirror

“Waive intellectual property rights on drugs”

COVID-19

THE African Union is backing calls for drugmakers to waive some intellectual property rights on COVID-19 medicines and vaccines to speed up their rollout to poor countries, the head of its disease control body said yesterday. South Africa and India, which both manufacture drugs and vaccines, made the proposal at the World Trade Organization last year, saying intellectual property (IP) rules were hindering the urgent scale-up of vaccine production and provision of medical products to some patients. They have faced opposition from some developed nations, but the backing of the African Union may give renewed impetus for the push to…

Jul

23

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa demands local production of vaccines

COVID-19

DUNCAN MIRIRI and GEORGE OBULUTSA GLOBAL pharmaceutical firms should license the production of COVID-19 vaccines in Africa rather than just do piecemeal contract deals, an African Union special envoy has said. AU coronavirus envoy Strive Masiyiwa was speaking a day after Pfizer and BioNTech announced a "fill and finish" deal with South Africa's Biovac Institute under which it will carry out the final stages of vaccine manufacturing where the product is processed and put into vials. Pfizer and BioNTech will handle drug substance production at their facilities in Europe. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has called the arrangement "restrictive" and said…