NEWS ANALYSIS

A wave of new exploration and production across Africa is reshaping the continent’s energy future, as newcomers like Sierra Leone, the DRC, and Namibia unveil ambitious plans – with new operational models- to join the oil-producing ranks. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Africa’s emerging oil producing countries are ramping …

A recent report shows Africa alone accounted for 70% of global mobile money transactions, making it the undisputed global leader in mobile-led financial inclusion. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Africa is shifting from cash handling in business to digital finance—an upgrade in the quest for financial inclusion, with mobile …

GOMA, DR Congo | Xinhua | In Goma, a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where war has redrawn borders and scattered families, a hospital has emerged as a beacon of resilience amid the ruins. Now under the control of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, …

CAIRO | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump departed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday afternoon, concluding a lucrative four-day Gulf tour, which had also taken him to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Despite expectations that Trump’s visit could help calm the conflict in Gaza and ease regional tensions, the …

His election represents continuity with the papacy of the late Pope Francis, and he is expected to continue Francis’ reforms of the church as well as his focus on poverty and marginalized people. ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost – now known as Pope Leo XIV — is the first pope from …

  The price of doing business in Zimbabwean gold — the country’s latest currency — is too steep for many retailers, who can’t compete with an informal market still churning on US dollars. Harare, Zimbabwe | Gamuchirai Masiyiwa, Global Press Journal Zimbabwe |  A year ago, all 16 checkout lanes were …

  Harare, Zimbabwe | Linda Mujuru, Global Press Journal Zimbabwe |   Primrose Garande’s ancestors relied on the fertile pastures here to graze their cattle, and he followed in their footsteps. Now, a Chinese-funded quarry operation threatens the lush landscape. Garande no longer knows where his livestock will graze. When school …

PROFILE | THE INDEPENDENT |  When Calvin David Echodu steps into a room, he carries with him an air of assured calm and understated resolve. Tall, dark-skinned, and immaculately dressed—with a Uganda flag-striped tie and a pocket square in the NRM’s signature yellow—Echodu’s appearance is at once both formal and …

Five candidates vying to lead the African Development Bank shared their visions at a public forum ahead of the May 29 election, outlining priorities from infrastructure, debt reform, food sovereignty and private sector investment ANALYSIS | AYENAT MERSIE |  Five candidates vying to lead the African Development Bank made their pitches …

How AI, X and online platforms are shaping diplomatic relations in the region and globally ANALYSIS | IAN KATUSIIME | An unexpected post on X from Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Jan. 30 in reaction to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during the recent flare-up in eastern DR Congo caught many …