Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | When Africa’s first case of coronavirus was detected in Egypt in February, the rest of the continent prepared for the brunt of a pandemic that has engulfed Europe and spread to the United States, infecting more than 1.6 million worldwide. Health experts warned of the …
Read More »Africa will not be used as COVID-19 testing ground- WHO chief
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that Africa will not be used as a testing ground for COVID-19 vaccines. His comments come after two French scientists suggested that vaccine trials should take place in Africa because there is a …
Read More »Coronavirus threatens nearly 20 million African jobs: study
Addis Abeba, Ethiopia | AFP | Millions of lost jobs, mounting debt woes and plunging remittances are among the economic hardships African countries can expect because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the African Union said in a study published Monday. “Nearly 20 million jobs, both in the formal and informal sectors, are threatened with destruction on …
Read More »FOCAC at 20: A solid, enduring partnership
COMMENT | Ronald Kato | This year, the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) marks its 20th anniversary. As it turns 20, FOCAC’s role in shaping Sino-African relations cannot be overemphasized. The forum is remarkable for many reasons. It shows China’s willingness to engage not just with individual African countries but with …
Read More »Scientists form coalition to lead COVID-19 research for treatments in low income countries
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A group of scientists and policymakers have launched an international research campaign that will focus on COVID-19 treatments options and vaccine research for low-income countries. The COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition which will consist of physicians is targeting African and Asian countries with the poor …
Read More »Empowering SMEs key to increasing development
OPINION | Thomas Yieke | Prosperity should always be at the heart of any initiative geared towards driving economic growth and development. According to Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), SMEs are the engine of growth for economic development, innovation, and wealth creation in Uganda. The SMEs are spread across all sectors …
Read More »Mega African infrastructure projects often hurt local people
There is evidence that the infrastructure that global financiers want to fund is not the kind that majority of the population need | TOM GOODFELLOW | Big infrastructure projects are always controversial. Yet in parts of the world associated with severely deficient infrastructure, the positive value of major infrastructure investments …
Read More »Coronavirus fears spark urban exodus across Africa
behenjy, Madagascar | AFP | No one can remember ever seeing as many people heading out of Antananarivo along national highway number 7. Madagascans have joined the exodus in their hundreds in recent days, forming long queues to get away after the authorities declared a lockdown to try to prevent the …
Read More »Fossil fuel and climate change
As pressure builds to phase out fossil fuels in Africa, African Business Magazine’s NJ Ayuk argues that we must not rob our continent of the benefits it can realise from oil and gas. Africans | THE INDEPENDENT | Pressure is building to phase out fossil fuels in Africa to fight …
Read More »Public distrust hampers Africa fight against virus misinformation
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | African nations fighting the novel coronavirus face a foe as stealthy and dangerous as the microbe itself: misinformation and apathy, fuelled by deep distrust of government. Bogus news and indifference to official warnings are emerging as giant obstacles in a region where poor healthcare infrastructure, …
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