Senegal - The African Mirror

Jul

12

2021

Senegal reports 529 new coronavirus infections

SENEGAL reported 529 coronavirus cases yesterday, a record in new daily cases there since the start of the pandemic, and a sign that a third wave of infections was gaining speed. The growing infection rate has alarmed authorities, but they have stopped short of imposing stringent measures to curb the spread after previous restrictions led to economic hardship that helped to fuel violent protests in March. Senegal has reported 46,179 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, and 1,194 deaths. So far it has vaccinated close to 600,000 from a total population of around 16 million. Reuters data shows that…

Jul

10

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal to build COVID-19 vaccine plant in bid to expand African access

COVID-19

CONSTRUCTION of a new plant in Senegal to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines is expected to begin later this year, and the facility should produce 25 million doses per month by the end of 2022, the financiers of the project have announced. The Institut Pasteur in Senegal's capital Dakar, which will run the plant, and various European development partners said the facility would help Africa reduce its dependence on vaccine imports, which currently account for 99% of its needs. That reliance on outside manufacturing has proved costly during the pandemic. Only a little more than 1% of the continent's population has been…

Jun

29

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal’s Olympics dream dashed

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO AFRICAN basketball powerhouses Senegal will not compete in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) hosted by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) in Belgrade, Serbia. The Senegalese camp, which was based in Germany for the duration of their camp, has reported several COVID-19 cases which caused several delays in their preparations. The team's plans to travel to Serbia were eventually cancelled. FIBA was informed by the National Federation of Senegal about COVID-19 related disruptions to their preparations in Germany. Despite continuous efforts from FIBA and the German Basketball Federation to support the Senegalese delegation, the team will not be able…

Jun

23

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal’s famed jazz festival returns after pandemic delay

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

COOPER INVEEN ON a small island where the Senegal River meets the sea, hundreds of mask-wearing jazz enthusiasts listened to French-Senegalese vocalist Awa Ly sing the blues for uncertain times. "Once you touched the sky and you went down," she crooned. "Use your inner senses and you'll figure it out, like a dream you can't remember." Last year COVID-19 halted Saint Louis' jazz festival for the first time in its 29-year history. This year it was back, bringing much needed life to the Island of Saint Louis, a UNESCO World Heritage site famed for its colonial architecture and pastel-coloured houses.…

Jun

09

2021

By The African Mirror

IMF approves $650 million in aid for Senegal’s COVID-19 recovery

BUSINESS

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved $650 million in aid to Senegal to support the West African country's COVID-19 recovery, it said in a statement late on Monday. The announcement follows an earlier payment of $442 million to Senegal in April 2020, also to mitigate the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the IMF said. The pandemic has hit the Senegalese economy hard and caused growth to contract to an estimated 1.5% in 2020 from 5.3% in 2019, the IMF said. The Fund expects a modest recovery in 2021 with growth reaching 3.7% and forecast to reach 5.5% in…

Jun

07

2021

By The African Mirror

Boost for Africa: Senegal to make COVID vaccines

COVID-19

EDWARD McALLISTER SENEGAL could begin producing COVID-19 vaccines next year under an agreement with Belgian biotech group Univercells aimed at boosting Africa's drug-manufacturing ambitions, a source involved in funding the project told Reuters. As wealthy countries begin to reopen after securing vaccine supplies early, African nations are still struggling to acquire shots. On a continent of 1.3 billion, only about 7 million have been fully vaccinated. The collaboration highlights the opportunities created by a global push to channel money and technology towards production on a continent that makes only 1% of the vaccines it requires. Univercells announced the signing of…

Jun

04

2021

By The African Mirror

France donates 184,000 doses to Senegal

COVID-19

FRANCE has donated 184,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to Senegal through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, the programme's sponsors said in a statement. This is the second batch of COVID-19 vaccines Senegal has received through the global scheme after an initial 324,000 AstraZeneca doses arrived in March. The arrival of the latest batch is timely. Senegal's supply of vaccines is running low just as thousands of people are due for their second jabs. Most of the country's 16 million citizens have yet to receive a first dose. Around 456,000 people in Senegal had been vaccinated as of Tuesday, programme sponsors…

Apr

04

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal to open consulate in Western Sahara

NEWS

SENEGAL will open a consulate in Western Sahara tomorrow, joining other African and Arab countries in supporting Morocco's claim to the disputed territory, two official sources said. The consulate will be opened by the Moroccan and Senegalese foreign ministers in the Atlantic city of Dakhla, making Senegal the 22nd nation to establish a diplomatic mission in the territory, the sources said. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks independence for Western Sahara, a vast desert region held by Morocco since Spain withdrew in 1975. Morocco has long sought international recognition of its claim to the region it calls its "southern provinces". The…

Feb

24

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal begins vaccinating

COVID-19

DIADE BA and NGOUDA DIONE SENEGAL began its coronavirus vaccination campaign yesterday, with 200,000 doses that it purchased from China's Sinopharm, which it received last week. The first shots were given to government ministers and health workers at the health ministry in the capital, Dakar. The West African country is one of the first in the region to start vaccinating its population against COVID-19. It has so far recorded 33,242 cases and 832 deaths from the disease. "We are going to continue so that all the Senegalese who must be vaccinated can be," said Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr in…

Feb

18

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal receives first delivery of vaccine

COVID-19

SENEGAL has taken delivery of its first COVID-19 vaccines, after paying for 200 000 doses from China's Sinopharm. Like other African countries that have struggled to procure vaccines, Senegal is still waiting for disbursements through African Union and World Health Organization-backed (WHO) programmes. In the meantime, some have turned to purchases or donations from China. Despite a relatively late start compared to Western producers, China is ramping up efforts to distribute its vaccines in Africa and elsewhere, some as direct aid. President Macky Sall will be at Dakar's airport for the arrival of the first doses from China in the…