Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | As the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is expected to take place on Jan. 1st, 2021, the African Union (AU) says it keeps AfCFTA in track with digital technology in the wake of COVID-19. For the AfCFTA operationalization timeline to be …
Read More »COVID-19: African Union agency to support SMEs across the continent
Johannesburg, South Africa | XINHUA | The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) on Tuesday launched a program to help Africa’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to adapt business operations in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. AUDA-NEPAD, in partnership with Ecobank Group, launched the MSME Academy which will give …
Read More »China, Africa Union experts meet to plan COVID-19 fight
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | High-level African and Chinese experts and officials on Tuesday called for further strengthening China-Africa ties in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. They made the call during a high-level virtual China-Africa joint response to COVID-19 pandemic meeting, which brought together senior experts …
Read More »AU warns cost of COVID-19 pandemic could be long-lasting in Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent could be long-lasting, a senior African Union (AU) Commission official stressed on Wednesday. “The consequences of the pandemic could be long-lasting,” an AU statement issued on Wednesday quoted Smail Chergui, AU Commissioner for …
Read More »Why Africa’s anti-epidemic efforts yield better results
Quick actions and cooperation among African countries helped slow down the spread of COVID-19 and avert a full-blown catastrophe in Africa, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said last week. | THE INDEPENDENT | His remarks were backed up by data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). …
Read More »Postponing AfCFTA would be a mistake-African business leaders
But CSOs say carrying out negotiation virtually will defranchise majority of the stakeholders Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | African Business leaders across the continent have signed a joint letter calling for the ministers and heads of state to stick to the July 1 deadline for the free trade agreement …
Read More »I am optimistic about Africa’s future
Bience Gawanas is the special adviser on Africa to the UN Secretary-General. She spoke to the Africa Renewal’s Zipporah Musau on her role and priorities for 2020 What would you say are the three biggest challenges facing Africa today? I would rather talk about the opportunities in Africa. I want …
Read More »Sister Gladyce Kachope one of best teachers in Africa, wins $10,000 prize
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s Sister Gladyce Kachope of Immaculate Heart Girls Rukungiri, is one of three winners of the first Continental Teacher Prize. Kachope, Eric Ademba of Kenya and Augusta Lartey-Young from Ghana each win a prize of $10,000 for secondary school teachers. The African Union (AU) on …
Read More »Sudan’s next disaster
THE LAST WORD: Why the plan to hand Bashir over to the ICC is misguided and will likely be counterproductive THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | The new government of Sudan has given a major indication that it will hand its former president, Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, …
Read More »Counting the Somalia peacekeeping deaths
For the first time, a reliable count on how many fatalities AMISOM has suffered | PAUL D. WILLIAMS | New evidence has made possible a more accurate estimate of how many African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) personnel have died since the mission deployed in March 2007. My previous report …
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