Partnership of 8 countries mooted at Kampala meeting COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | A consortium of African civil society organisations has kick-started a campaign to change the continent’s gloomy situation regarding vaccines and other essential pharmaceutical products. Of all vaccines administered on the continent, only 1% of these vaccines are …
Read More »Chinese envoy refutes allegations of “debt trap” in Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | Xue Bing, Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday refuted the groundless cliche that China is creating a “debt trap” in Africa, calling it a narrative trap instead. Addressing media here in the Ethiopian capital, the …
Read More »Africa CDC says multi-country cholera outbreak tally reaches 53,660; toll at 1,282
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | A total of 53,660 cholera cases have been confirmed in a multi-country outbreak of the disease since February 2023, the Africa Center for Disease Control (Africa CDC) has said. A total of 13 member countries have reported cholera cases since the beginning of the year, with …
Read More »Bumper grain harvests: African countries defy global food slump
Favourable rains and government subsidies helped African countries remain food sufficient despite global shortages, according to the FAO Niamey, Niger | BIRD AGENCY | As ravaging drought, low rainfall and war in Europe resulted in a global slump in cereal production in 2022, some African countries went against the grain, …
Read More »Airtel maintains low ‘PakaKuGround’ money transfer rates
Airtel Money maintains “Big Cut” on transaction charges for sending money to other Networks in East Africa and the rest of the world by up to 95% Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Airtel Mobile Commerce Uganda Limited (AMCUL) has maintained a “big cut” on transaction charges for sending …
Read More »Europe eyes Africa as ‘future source of cheap green hydrogen’
After a recent rush on Africa’s natural gas resources, Europe is eyeing the continent’s green hydrogen potential, deepening climate and energy partnerships in the process. Cairo, Egypt | BIRD AGENCY | After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022 set off a rush for gas resources worldwide, Europe picked Africa …
Read More »Afreximbank, EIB unveil €200m pharmaceutical financing scheme for sub-Saharan Africa
Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | The European Investment Bank (EIB), the world’s largest multilateral bank, and Afreximbank, the pan-African multilateral financial institution, have joined hands to finance healthcare and pharmaceutical manufacturing projects across sub-Saharan Africa in an attempt to strengthen health resilience on the continent. The new €200 million healthcare …
Read More »Kenya, Ghana, Malawi expand malaria vaccine use as African countries plan 2024 rollout
The RTS,S, the first vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization to prevent malaria, is expected to save thousands of lives each year in Africa with the expanded rollout Nairobi, Kenya | BIRD AGENCY | Kenya has launched a campaign to expand the use of the world’s first malaria vaccine, …
Read More »Can Africa reduce the impact of the US dollar on its emerging markets?
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Reducing reliance on the US dollar necessitates satisfying financing requirements in local currency and enhancing local financial institutions Whenever I meet clients and investors, the one discussion I always end up having, regardless of market conditions, is on currency markets. There are often strong views …
Read More »Africa Women Health Champions
Move underway to expand the initiative Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Phase Two of the Africa Women Health Champions (AWHC) initiative is underway and it will be bigger with an expanded reach. The World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa (WHO-AFRO) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme partnered on Africa …
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