AFRICA

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Many healthcare workers in Egypt’s threadbare hospital system must provide their own protective gear, so when a digital design company started 3-D printing face shields, they gratefully accepted. Since the novel coronavirus first hit Egypt, medical doctor Yahya Diwer has been working all-night shifts as head …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The spread of COVID-19 risks devastating countries across East Africa, where food insecurity could more than double in just three months, the United Nations warned Tuesday. The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that some 20 million people currently do not have secure provisions of food across nine countries in the …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Sudan risks being plunged into a humanitarian disaster by COVID-19 unless sanctions are lifted and donors provide financial support, the UN rights chief said Tuesday. Without international backing, the country’s transition towards peace and stability could swing into reverse, Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. A year has passed since …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi on Monday launched a campaign for next month’s presidential, legislative and municipal elections, ignoring allegations of downplaying the risk of coronavirus and reports of violence against the opposition. Seven candidates are running in the May 20 polls in the small East African nation, where life …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The UN rights chief warned Monday that countries flouting the rule of law in the name of fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic risk sparking a “human rights disaster”. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on countries to refrain from violating fundamental rights …

  When the first cases of coronavirus were detected in December 2019, no one could have ever predicted that it would lead to a pandemic. AZA Trading Desk Manager,  Mungai Murega shared insights with The Independent on the  economic toll of COVID-19 and potential ways in which African businesses can …

As Africa heads towards recession, it’s not easy to know where to invest. Akinyi Ochieng and Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, Jr. highlight three areas that are likely to fare better during the downturn  Back in January, Africa’s economic outlook for the year was bright. African Development Bank projections predicted 3.9% growth in 2020 and …

Survey shows Uganda response leading in Africa Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A study of the response of Sub-Saharan governments to the spread of the Corona virus disease COVID-19 sweeping across the globe has ranked Uganda higly. The survey by GeoPoll which is the world’s largest mobile survey platform …

Tunis, Tunisia | AFP |  The feared impact of coronavirus on Tunisia’s fragile public health system has provoked a flurry of innovation from robotics to digitalisation efforts to bolster the North African country’s pandemic response. The government has even turned to students for help, asking the engineering school in Sousse, south …

Dakar, Senegal | AFP | Across Africa, obscure or forgotten health and government officials have been propelled into the public eye because of their role in fighting coronavirus. Some are unsung veterans of previous efforts to stop epidemics, such as Ebola or AIDS. Others are from a younger generation, making a …