AFRICA

Freetown, Sierra Leone | THE INDEPENDENT |  Sierra Leone will begin mass vaccination against COVID-19 on Monday to further curb the spread of the disease in the country, a health official said Friday. Tom Sesay, head of the Expanded Program on Immunization under Sierra Leone’s Health Ministry, made the announcement at …

Cairo, Egypt | THE INDEPENDENT |  Egypt rejected on Friday a joint statement issued by a number of countries at the United Nations Human Rights Council, which included criticisms about human rights situation in the North African country. In a statement, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed absolute rejection of …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The sixth season of popular singing competition show, Nigerian Idol, premieres Sunday, March 14. The much-anticipated show  on DStv Channel 198 and GOtv Channel 29 will open with a special airing of the most entertaining moments from the auditions which took place late last year. …

Nairobi, Kenya | THE INDEPENDENT | Kenyan opposition political heavyweight Raila Odinga.76, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now quarantined at Nairobi Hospital, that is in the news for many reasons. The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader said in a statement Thursday that Covid-19 is real. “I wish to use …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | THE INDEPENDENT | Reports that Tanzania’s President John Pombe Magufuli has been flown abroad for treatment are surprising, because left on his own, he rarely travels outside the country’s borders. What that means is that his Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been the most noticeable …

Vaccines arriving at international airports is only the first step in the race for vaccine access equity COMMENT | By Dr. Solomon Zewdu | On February 24, 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Accra, Ghana. Two days later, another 504,000 doses arrived in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. These were the …

To enforce the surveillance on aflatoxins, all importers of maize will have to be registered in the next two months Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Kenya plans to heighten surveillance of aflatoxin on maize imports from the east African region, an official said on Wednesday. Lawrence Omuhaka, chief administrative secretary, Ministry …

The pandemic has worsened marginalization of women and girls on the continent Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | The attainment of gender-related sustainable development goals in Africa risks becoming a mirage as the continent grapples with aftershocks linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new United Nations report. The pandemic has …

Nairobi, Kenya | THE INDEPENDENT | Kenya’s Daily Nation has today reported that an African leader is admitted at a Nairobi hospital, reportedly struggling to recover from COVID-19. Nation does not identify the leader, who is said to be on a ventilator, but goes ahead to give details about the laissez-faire …

Cairo, Egypt | THE INDEPENDENT & URN | The final tournament of the Total U17 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2021 that was due to start March 13th to 31st March in Morocco has been called off. Continental football governing body CAF issued a brief statement on  March 8, confirming …