News

[ODI] A new report from global think-tank ODI sheds light on the need to strengthen sustainable climate services across Africa if ambitions for effective climate adaptation are to be realised.

[IPS] Likuangole -- Located in Jonglei state, one of the most underdeveloped regions of South Sudan, Likuangole is a town badly hit by floods and often battered by conflict. Despite the lack of secondary schools and industry, its residents aspire to transform their lives. But real investment is needed to spur development.

[Democracy Works] Social partners involved in SA's social dialogue have not been diverse enough, and so decisions often do not have broad societal buy-in.

[DW] The French anti-terror mission Barkhane is losing support in Mali, as reflected in recent protests in the capital, Bamako. Attitudes to the former colonial power are ambivalent amid deteriorating security.

[Thomson Reuters Foundation] The blockchain-based technology helps struggling families afford the essentials and avoid becoming victims of loan sharks

[IPS] Bulawayo -- A long-running gag says "in Zimbabwe there is freedom of speech, but no freedom after the speech". But for journalists and activists who have been forced to endure nights in the country's overcrowded and filthy holding cells, this is no laughing matter as prison inmates have no personal protective equipment to guard against COVID-19.

[allAfrica] As of January 24, confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries reached 3,417,518. Reported deaths in Africa reached 84,537 and 2,866,931 people have recovered.

[DW] Tropical Cyclone Eloise has hit Mozambique, bringing rain and powerful winds of around 130 kilometers per hour. Forecasters believe it will now move toward Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.

[ICG] The Chadian army, while essential to counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel, is also a source of potential instability for the country. Chadian authorities, supported by their international partners, should build a more representative and professional army, and establish safeguards to discourage violence in the event of a succession crisis.

[African Arguments] Two years after removing Bashir from power, Sudan's revolution is going through a tough transition. Economy, peace, and foreign policy are among the top challenges of the transitional government. However, all three files were a major topic of contestation contributing to an intensification of hostilities between the civilian and military components of Sudan's transitional government.

[DW] Burkina Faso has a thriving theater tradition. But terrorism and the coronavirus are curtailing the activities of its only permanent theater.

[DW] Social media platforms in Uganda played a crucial role in the mobilization of opposition leader Bobi Wine's followers. Shutting down the internet on the eve of polls added to doubts about how fair the elections were.

[The Conversation Africa] A new variant of coronavirus has swept across the United Kingdom and been detected in the United States, Canada and elsewhere. Scientists are concerned that these new strains may spread more easily.

[The Conversation Africa] Every year, 12 million young people enter the labour market across the African continent.

[DW] The Gulf of Guinea, where the attack took place, is considered the most dangerous sea in the world for piracy. One crew member was killed and 15 others were taken hostage after a struggle on board.

[UNFPA] Sofala -- In the early hours of 23 January, Cyclone Eloise - a category two storm bringing winds of up to 160 kilometres per hour - made landfall in Sofala Province in central Mozambique, an area still recovering from the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai nearly two years ago.

[Nation] Leaders allied to President Uhuru Kenyatta have accused Deputy President William Ruto of misleading desperate youths by giving them false hope through the wheelbarrow narrative.

[Leadership] Worried by the growing loss of private and public assets to infernos in the last 12 months and as part of renewed efforts to reduce fire incidents in the country, the federal government has concluded plans to establish fire stations across the nation's 109 senatorial districts.

[Nation] Fourteen years ago, in January 2007, Somalia President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed set foot in Mogadishu for the first time since taking office in 2004. His triumphant entry in the capital symbolised victory for Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and indeed Kenya, from where he had ruled his country for three years.

[Daily News] Dodoma -- THE European Union (EU) has pledged to continue supporting Tanzania in its efforts to improve the business and investment climate in Tanzania, including attracting more investors from EU countries to invest in the country.

[Daily News] Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) will this financial year construct five natural gas stations in Dar es Salaam to serve the Dar Rapid Transit (DART) buses, a plan that is expected to cut fuel cost by 45 per cent and reduce fares.

[Vanguard] President Muhammadu Buhari has advocated for the restructuring of ECOWAS, saying that the organization needed to streamline its management to adjust to current realities.

[Seychelles News Agency] A private island luxury resort in Seychelles - North Island - is listed amongst the Top 5 beaches in the world by Condé Nast Traveler readers for 2020.

[Daily News] Dodoma -- THE government has reached a consensus with large scale wheat millers to improve the commercial crop, agreeing to set a minimum price of 800/- per kilogramme of raw wheat.

[Nation] Ten ships docked at the Mombasa port on Thursday evening, giving port managers hope of a turnaround after the Covid-19 crisis impacted transshipment traffic.

[Tunis Afrique Presse] Tunis/Tunisia -- A satellite monitoring system of fishing vessels over 15 metres was put into operation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries announced.

[Nation] Only one of 10 women who gave birth in public health facilities in the country last year succumbed, but there are still fears that more women gave birth at home on fear of contracting Covid-19.

[Nation] Few weeks ago, Judy Ochieng was watching Selina, her favourite TV show on GOtv when a message flashed on her screen, followed by a similar one in her phone.

[The Conversation Africa] Music is not a zero sum game with only one 'best'. But if you seek to name one musician whose life embodies the South African people's struggle for a national culture, it must be trombonist, composer and cultural activist Jonas Mosa Gwangwa, who was born on 19 October 1937 in Orlando East, Johannesburg, and died on 23 January 2021 in Johannesburg aged 83.

[AIM] Maputo -- As forecast, Cyclone Eloise hit the central Mozambican city of Beira early on Saturday morning, with winds of 140 kilometres an hour and gusts of up to 160 kilometres an hour, according to the independent television station, STV.