The CFO of Chinese technology company Huawei, a firm with significant investments across Africa, was detained in Canada earlier this week for extradition to the United States, the company confirmed early Thursday. Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of the global company’s founder, is believed to be under investigation in connection with…
Ethiopia’s rapid reforms under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appear to be paying dividends in tourism and international travel, with Addis Ababa becoming the new “gateway to Africa.” That’s according to data from industry analysts at Forward Keys, who found an “extraordinary rise” for Ethiopia as a destination and transfer hub…
The surprise resignation of Erik Solheim, the former United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) executive director, took effect Thursday with Tanzanian scientist Joyce Msuya tapped as acting director. The departure of the Nairobi-based Solheim followed a UNEP audit that determined he was rarely in Kenya. A draft of the audit, leaked…
Five Africans have been named recipients of the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law, presented jointly on Wednesday by the two European nations. They are among 15 human rights leaders honored by French minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and German foreign minister Heiko Maas. “Through them, our…
A police officer from Ghana has been named the United Nations Female Police Officer of the Year, in a ceremony held in New York by the UN’s peacekeeping department. Phyllis Ama Tebuah Osei, who is serving with United Nations Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), was chosen for her work in Jubaland….
Fans of Marvel Comics are mourning the loss of Stan Lee, the co-creator of Black Panther and the fictional kingdom of Wakanda born on the pages of Marvel before its appearance earlier this year on the big screen. The 95-year-old Lee, whose full name was Stanley Martin Lieber, died in…
African billionaire Mohammed Dewji, who has been missing from Tanzania since an October 11 abduction, is now home and safe after his release over the weekend. “I thank Allah that I have returned home safely. I thank all my fellow Tanzanians, and everyone around the world for their prayers,” said a…
Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft and philanthropist with a special heart for the African continent, died in the United States on Monday. He was 65 and suffered from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Allen’s death was announced by Vulcan, the Seattle-based umbrella company formed to manage a range of projects and global campaigns,…
Congolese physician Dr. Denis Mukwege has been named the recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, an honor he shares with Nadia Murad for their work in ending sexual violence in the context of conflict. “This year’s Peace Laureate Denis Mukwege has repeatedly condemned impunity for mass rape and criticized…
The UN agency for migration has a new director general, with António Vitorino of Portugal taking the helm this month as former United States diplomat William Lacy Swing steps down after two five-year terms. The 61-year-old Vitorino is a former European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, and was Portugal’s…
South African Elon Musk, the Pretoria-born billionaire often seen at the forefront of innovation, will step down as head of Tesla Motors as part of a settlement over securities fraud charges filed by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Musk and Tesla will each pay a USD$20 million…
Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations and the first black African to lead the UN, has died in Switzerland. The Kofi Annan Foundation announced the 80-year-old Ghanaian died on Saturday after a short illness, with his wife, Nane, and three children by his side. “Kofi Annan…
No sooner did Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki return from his historic three-day visit to Ethiopia on Monday, than Ethiopian officials planned their own journey – this time, aboard the inaugural Ethiopian Airlines flight to Asmara. Flight 0312 leaves Addis Ababa at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, with an expected arrival time…
Cambridge Analytica, the disgraced intelligence and data-driven communications firm at the center of the Facebook political data scandals and subsequent British and U.S. investigations, has re-emerged with an Egyptian as its sole investor and a focus on the Middle East and Africa. The new company, Auspex International, will keep former…
Kenyan writer Makena Onjerika has been named the recipient of the 2018 Caine Prize for African Writing for a short story called “Fanta Blackcurrant.” She accepted the £10,000 prize during an award dinner held Monday evening in London. The story of Meri, a street child in Onjerika’s home city of…