Sub-Saharan Africa - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

US senators introduce bill to renew Africa trade pact through 2041

A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill to renew the U.S. trade pact with sub-Saharan Africa ahead of its expiration next year, an aide to one of the senators said. The bill was introduced by Senators Chris Coons, a Democrat, and James Risch, top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A cross-party group of senators - Dick Durbin, Michael Bennet, Chris van Hollen, Todd Young and Mike Rounds - is co-sponsoring the bill. An aide to Coons said it was a high priority to reauthorize the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) this year. The bill, which…

Apr

2024

By The African Mirror

Diet and nutrition: how well Tanzanians eat depends largely on where they live

HEALTH

CITIES are growing faster in sub-Saharan Africa than elsewhere, with an annual urban population growth rate of around 4% compared to the world average of 1.5%. Across the continent, the urban share of the total population is projected to increase to 50% by 2030 and 60% by 2050. Urbanisation is associated with lifestyle changes such as less physical activity and less labour-intensive work. This is often accompanied by an increased intake of high-calorie fast foods, snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages. This combination has contributed to rising obesity in cities in low- and middle-income countries. At the same time, undernourishment and micronutrient…

Mar

2024

By BOMIKAZI ZEKA and ABDUL LATIF ALHASSAN

Cost-of-living crisis: experts share 3 survival tips

NEWS

THE price increases for essential goods such as food, petrol and household utilities are a global concern, but the region most hurt by the surge in food prices is sub-Saharan Africa. The knock-on effect from the supply chain disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disasters that resulted in food insecurity and energy shortages have driven prices through the roof. A report by Numbeo, which contains the world’s largest database on costs of living, found that South Africa is the ninth most expensive African country to live in and the most expensive in cost of living (in terms of groceries,…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

My parents are from two different African countries: study shows how this shapes identity

CULTURE

MORE than a third of migration in sub-Saharan Africa happens within the continent. This mixing of people means that some children have parents of different national origins. Yet not enough is known about the lives of these children: how they form their identity and what impact migration has on them. The majority of research on second-generation African immigrants focuses on understanding their experiences in the global north. Our research looked at the less studied African context, where the majority of African migration occurs. We are sociologists who study migration and identity and we have seen that studies tend to take…

Oct

2023

By The African Mirror

Energy-hungry Germany’s Scholz courts Africa as crises elsewhere bite

NEWS

GERMAN Chancellor Olaf Scholz this weekend makes his third visit to sub-Saharan Africa in two years, as conflicts elsewhere highlight the growing importance of an energy-rich region in which Berlin has traditionally had little involvement. He will visit major energy producer Nigeria, as well as Ghana, with migration flows and instability in West Africa also on his agenda. Much of the impetus for the trip has come from the realization that Germany - and Europe - need Africa more than it thought, said Greens legislator Anton Hofreiter. "People realized we needed allies against Russia's invasion of Ukraine," he said. "And…

Oct

2023

By RACHEL SAVAGE

Debt squeeze leaves sub-Saharan Africa’s governments in fiscal bind

BUSINESS

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) urged sub-Saharan African policymakers last week to cut costly fuel subsidies and raise more in taxes, measures that may be hard to implement as governments grapple with tough spending choices amid high debt. The region has been hit by repeated economic shocks since 2020, from the COVID-19 pandemic to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and rising U.S. interest rates, putting cash-strapped, debt-laden governments in a political and fiscal bind. However, the IMF's prescriptions, set out at its annual meetings last week, are often painful to administer. Countries from Ghana, which defaulted on its debts last year, to Kenya, which…

Sep

2023

By The African Mirror

Lagos building collapses: we used machine learning to show where and why they happen

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

BUILDING collapses have become a major menace in Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos is the business hub of the country and has its largest seaport and airport. With an estimated population of 15.4 million, it is the largest city in sub-Saharan Africa and the second largest in Africa after Cairo. The city has two distinct geographical areas: Lagos Island and Lagos Mainland, connected by three bridges. Lagos Island is the historical nucleus of the city. This area is renowned for its eclectic mix of architectural styles, a blend of modern skyscrapers, remnants of colonial-era structures and bustling traditional markets. It serves as…

Jul

2023

By CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Prosperity, economic freedoms on the rise in Africa

NEWS

AFRICAN countries that suffered some of the worst and longest civil wars are recording the biggest moves in a freedom index, with the continent logging the biggest growth in a key prosperity score in close to 30 years. The American think tank, Atlantic Council, shows Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia registered the biggest score changes in a global ranking of free and prosperous countries, between 1995 and 2022. Of the three, Sierra Leone and Rwanda made the most significant gains in their freedom scores according to Atlantic Council's Prosperity that Lasts: The 2023 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes. Sierra Leone ranked…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

LaLiga is coming to Sub-Saharan Africa on the mobile phone with Upstream

FOOTBALL

LALIGA has partnered with global marketing technology company, Upstream, on LaLiga Premium, a fan-focused online portal with exclusive LaLiga content for African mobile phone users. The new partnership will allow mobile network operators to tap into the rapidly growing popularity of LaLiga across Africa by providing subscribers with access to unique and exclusive content and features. LaLiga Premium will also be available in multiple languages and part of its content is available through feature phones as well. LaLiga-Premium-Upstream-LaLiga-Joint-PR-ENG-4.4.2023Download

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Africa music revenues record over 30% growth

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

BIRD STORY AGENCY THE viral nature of African tunes is not only creating a broader audience for African artists but also unleashing an unprecedented revenue boom. The fastest-growing market region in 2022 was Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report. Growth in the region, which recorded a 34.7% rise in music sales, was largely driven by a booming music market in South Africa, where sales were up by more than 30% year-on-year. This is according to a report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which represents over 8000 record company members worldwide, including all three major labels,…