AFRICA

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector lending arm of the World Bank, has acquired a 6.71 percent stake in Kenya’s regional lender Equity Bank, officials said Tuesday. Mohamed Gouled, the vice president of risk and finance at the IFC, said in Nairobi, the Kenyan …

Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | Somali police confirmed Tuesday that four people including three police officers were killed and eight others injured in a roadside blast in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, Monday night. Police Spokesperson Abdifatah Aden Hassan said the blast which occurred between Mogadishu and Afgoye district targeted …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Xinhua | The government of Tanzania on Monday announced plans aimed at ending sugar and edible oil imports by 2025. The plans were announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, and the Minister for Investment, Industry and Trade, Ashatu Kijaji, when they addressed parliament in …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | The Russia-Ukraine conflict is exerting a negative impact on Africa’s aviation sector, experts said Monday. Abderahmane Berthe, secretary-general of the African Airlines Association, said at a continental aviation forum that the conflict has resulted in a high cost of fuel for aircraft. “We hope that this …

Tunis, Tunisia | Xinhua | Tunisian Health Ministry decided to suspend using the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine (Janssen), the official Tunis Afrique Presse reported on Monday. The Health Minister Ali Mrabet said at a press conference on Monday that Tunisian government made this decision after the U.S. Food and Drug …

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe |  Tafara Mugwara – Xinhua | Twenty-year-old Mduduzi Jele is eagerly learning the art and craft of leather making from one of the industry’s seasoned experts. With steadfast determination, Mduduzi Jele, son of a leather technician, hopes to accumulate the prized skill so that he can also pass …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Ugandan poultry farmers have denied accusations by their Kenyan counterparts that they export cheaper poultry products to Kenya, which is distorting the market. Last week, Kenyan media reported that poultry farmers had petitioned the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Livestock calling for a total …

Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | Somali President Mohamed Farmajo has officially announced his candidacy for re-election in the presidential elections slated for May 15 in the capital, Mogadishu. Farmajo who made the announcement in a televised speech on Sunday evening expressed his commitment to continue with the progress and development …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | The Ethiopia Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration (MoTRI) has announced a decision to hike gas prices by 16 percent starting Sunday. The ministry said in a press statement released Saturday evening that the price hike would see gas prices rise from 31.74 Ethiopian …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | African campaigners on Friday launched an initiative to track the expenditure of climate finance in the continent. Charles Mwangi, head of programs and research at the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) told journalists in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, that the ‘Follow the Money’ campaign will …