Baidoa, Somalia | AFP | As a teenager, Aden Hussein chose to become a refugee to get an education. With Somalia in collapse, he left his family for neighbouring Kenya where Dadaab, one of the largest and oldest refugee camps in the world, offered a de-facto city served by the …
Read More »Brazil’s Temer: 5 key chapters in a troubled reign
Brasília, Brazil | AFP | Brazilian president Michel Temer rode to power last year by helping get his ex-ally Dilma Rousseff impeached, but now he could be forced from office himself. Here are five key chapters from a tumultuous 14 months culminating with Monday’s filing of bribery charges against him …
Read More »30 French firms eye Uganda investments
The firms seek to invest in energy, infrastructure, IT and pharmaceutical industries Kampala, Uganda | Ronald Musoke | Uganda’s ever growing position as an attractive investment destination for French companies came to the fore recently as a delegation of more than 30 companies under the umbrella organisation MEDEF (Mouvement des …
Read More »America, China in US$ 4bn Uganda refinery deal race
Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | President Yoweri Museveni and technocrats at the Energy Ministry are set to pick an investor for Uganda’s $4 billion refinery but details of what is emerging from negotiations and due diligence meetings is troubling. Insiders say the in-fighting, intrigue and lobbying that has undermined previous infrastructure …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Land killings in Apaa
Forced demarcation has put an end to the peaceful coexistence between the Acholi and the Madi Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | On June 7, the nation was shocked again when the on-and-off Apaa land conflict in the northern district of Amuru escalated into violence, this time leaving eight people dead. Shocking …
Read More »Prize-winning tech helping Ghana’s farmers to grow, pioneering online legal services in Uganda
The prize-winning tech helping Ghana’s farmers to grow, pioneering legal services online in Uganda Accra, Ghana | AFP | Agyei Douglas is a farmer who grows vegetables near Kumasi in Ghana’s central Ashanti region. He used to struggle to access markets and capital. The information he needed was broadcast on …
Read More »After string of defeats, Democrats rudderless in Trump era
Washington, UNITED STATES | AFP | Frozen out of power in Washington and having lost a string of congressional races this year, Democrats are struggling to craft winning strategies to convert disillusionment with President Donald Trump into victory in 2018’s midterm elections. The party fielded a hodgepodge of candidates …
Read More »S.Africa confronts apartheid-era custody deaths
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The brutal death of anti-apartheid campaigner Ahmed Timol was allowed to go quietly unsolved in the interests of South Africa’s democratic reconciliation. But now more than 45 years after he fell from a 10th-floor window at a notorious regime security building and died, Timol’s …
Read More »Tanzania president says teen mothers should quit school
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzania President John Magufuli said students who become pregnant should not be allowed to finish their studies after giving birth, sparking outrage from women’s rights campaign groups. “I give money for a student to study for free. And then, she gets pregnant, gives birth and …
Read More »Botswana ex-president turned peacemaker Masire dies
Gaborone, Botswana | AFP | Sir Ketumile Masire, Botswana’s second post-independence leader who is largely credited with being the architect of the country’s famed stability, has died, an aide said Friday. He was 91. One of Africa’s most respected elder statesmen, he was known for leading regional peace efforts in …
Read More »