AFRICA

  Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on Wednesday released the 2021 electoral cycle slating the presidential election on Dec. 4, 2021. According to a statement issued by the IEC, nominations days for presidential candidates will last from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5, 2021, presidential campaign …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | The Chinese government on Wednesday handed over the second batch of medical supplies to help Namibia combat the COVID-19 epidemic. The donation to Namibia’s Health Ministry, valued at 4.3 million Namibia dollars (260,000 U.S. dollars), included 5,000 disposable medical protective clothing, 15,000 face masks for medical …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The Ethiopian government on Wednesday restored partial access to the internet after a total shutdown since June 29 following deadly unrest that erupted in the capital Addis Ababa and other parts of the country killing at least 166 people. Deadly protests erupted in the …

Cairo, Egypt | XINHUA | Egypt has asked Ethiopia for an official clarification if it has started filling its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) constructed on their shared Nile River as stated in some media reports, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. “Egypt has requested an …

Juba, South Sudan | XINHUA | The UN children’s fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday delivered medical supplies worth 651 million South Sudanese pounds (about 5 million U.S. dollars) to South Sudan to help the east African country tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Mohamed Ag Ayoya, UNICEF representative in South Sudan said anti-COVID-19 …

  Dar es salaam, Tanzania | XINHUA | Tanzania on Monday urged the Southern African Development Community (SADC) members to join forces in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing which were likely to disturb economies of the region. Doto James, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance …

Evaluating and learning from the best | THE INDEPENDENT | The COVID-19 pandemic is testing health care and disaster management systems of countries and the agility of policy responses to effectively handle a public health catastrophe. Since the first reported case in Africa on February 14, countries in the region …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Five European states and five African countries agreed at a meeting on Monday to work closer together to curtail human trafficking in Europe and at source and to establish legal pathways for migrants to reach Europe, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said. Johansson …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHAU | As tributes continued pouring in following the death of South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark Zindzi Mandela, President Cyril Ramaphosa said her passing was saddening. Zindzi died at age of 59 in a Johannesburg hospital after a short illness. She was Nelson Mandela and Winnie Mandela’s …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Nigerian-based United Bank for Africa Plc. has appointed Oliver Alawuba as deputy Managing Director in charge of Africa businesses. The lender operates in 20 African countries including Uganda. Also appointed is Ayoku Liadi as deputy managing director in charge of UBA Nigeria. The lender …