Senegal’s capital Dakar is facing yet another water shortage, though this time concerns have been exacerbated by the ongoing Covid-19 epidemic and the greater need for personal hygiene. “How do you wash your hands during a coronavirus crisis when the heat is coming?” Papa Mbodj, the father of a 9-month-old…
Ghanaian authorities on Sunday were denying rumors that President Nana Akufo Addo has left the country for medical treatment, following news that he had been exposed to COVID-19 through a close contact. “Kindly disregard the false story published by the Herald newspaper,” said Eugene Arhin, the president’s communications director, in…
By Adekemi Omotubora COVID-19 is ravishing the world, putting in focus both the public health and economic implications. For a country like Nigeria, hemorrhaging its revenue from oil, the catastrophe of the pandemic also stresses the need to develop a diversified Nigerian economy – and it is a digital economy….
Rwanda is the only nation in sub-Saharan Africa that appears to be approved for travel to the European Union as management of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, according to a list seen by the New York Times. The short list of non-European nations with citizens determined eligible to enter the EU,…
African leaders met Wednesday to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, in a virtual meeting hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, the current chair of the African Union. Also coordinating the Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 was President Macky Sall of Senegal, whose nation holds…
More than 200,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed on the African continent, and the sweep of the pandemic is accelerating, according to World Health Organization (WHO). Officials said Thursday the coronavirus count reached the benchmark of 100,000 cases in 98 days, but it then took only 19 days to…
Opposition leaders in Ethiopia warn of the potential for additional unrest following parliament’s decision to allow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to remain in office beyond the end of his term. A joint statement from the Oromo LIberation Front (OLF) and Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) followed Wednesday’s decision to keep Abiy…
The Africa director for the World Health Organization says health professionals are rushing to Mbandaka, a border city in Democratic Republic of Congo where a fresh outbreak of the Ebola virus is reported. “This outbreak is close to transport routes and borders, so a speedy response like this is all…
Struggling French automaker Renault is set to cut 15,000 jobs around the world, according to labor leaders who met with company officials Thursday night to discuss the plans before a public announcement expected Friday. The cuts are part of a deal the company hopes will deliver €2 billion in savings…
By Arman Sidhu After suffering its first economic contraction in nearly 45 years, China finds itself facing a deluge of economic threats, many of which stem from criticism of Beijing’s handling and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. From alternative supply chains, to new policy measures designed to screen Chinese foreign…
In Zimbabwe, three women activists with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change – Alliance party who were detained following protests two weeks ago are back in custody pending a final bail ruling on Thursday. The women, including MDC-Alliance MP Joanah Mamombe, above, were charged earlier this week in connection with…
The World Health Organization warns that the data on COVID-19 on the African continent may not “paint the full picture” of the pandemic’s public health impact While Africa has been spared the COVID-19 crises seen in nations like the United States, China, Russia and Brazil, it is likely that cases…
The number of coronavirus cases in South Africa continues to climb, with the Ministry of Health reporting 30 additional deaths on Thursday and a toll that has reached 369 victims. Among them is a 2-day-old baby who was born prematurely and did not survive on a ventilator. “The mother had…
President Paul Biya of Cameroon has kept a low profile in recent months but delivered a televised address to the troubled West African nation to mark its National Day, one muted by the coronavirus pandemic and the absence of festivities. The 87-year-old Biya focused on the COVID-19 crisis during his…
Beijing was on the defensive Monday, as the World Health Assembly in Geneva began with a draft resolution from 110 nations, many of them on the African continent, calling for an inquiry into the source of the deadly coronavirus believed to have originated in China in late 2019. The seven-page…