AFRICA

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Africa’s multi-lateral lender, United Bank for Africa Plc, has acted as Facility Agent Bank for the Nigerian Commercial Banks in a consortium with other international banks in a $1.5 Billion Pre-Export Finance Facility for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its upstream subsidiary, …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The number of food insecure people in East Africa is estimated to increase this year to more than 41 million as a result of COVID-19, including 14 million who are estimated to live in urban areas, two United Nations agencies warned. The announcement was …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA |  Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday appointed Vice President (VP) Constantino Chiwenga as new Minister of Health and Child Care. Chiwenga takes over former minister Obadiah Moyo whom was fired by Mnangagwa last month over corruption allegations. This means Chiwenga will double as VP and health …

San Francisco, US | XINHUA | Children who receive sustained treatment against common parasitic infections grow up to achieve a higher standard of living, with long-lasting health and economic benefits extending to communities, according to research released by the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) on Monday. The study, focusing …

African banks, including central banks, have been quick to appraise the situation in the wake of the lockdowns induced by Covid-19 and most have put mitigating measures in place. These, writes Neil Ford, will go a long way to reducing the impact of the inevitable loss of business across the board. | …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA |  At least 18 civilians were killed in an incursion attributed to the Boko Haram group on the night of Saturday to Sunday in Cameroon’s Far North region, according to local sources. The attack took place at a place called Nguetchewe, located in the sub-division of …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations said on Sunday that large numbers of desert locust swarms that have formed in Horn of Africa (HoA), mainly Ethiopia and Kenya, since January 2020 could move west in the coming weeks, threatening fields, …

Kigali, Rwanda | XINHUA | Rwandan airports on Saturday reopened to international travellers, more than four months after the central African nation suspended commercial passenger flights to mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak. The suspension didn’t affect cargo and emergency flights. Tourists travelling by charter flights had been allowed to enter the …

Johannesburg, South Africa | XINHUA | The South African police on Saturday announced the firearms amnesty extension for six months to allow those with illegal and possession of firearms which they do not need to surrender them without prosecution. The police said the amnesty period is from Aug. 1 until …

Pretoria, South Africa | XINHUA | Innovation, science and technology would be handy in defeating COVID-19 and rebuilding world economies, said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa’s speech was read by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Blade Nzimande on Friday at a virtual science and innovation conference …