China reaffirmed its commitment to the African continent on Monday, with foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin citing an increase in direct investment, and advances in medicine and other sectors. “Over the past 20 years, the flow of China’s direct investment in Africa has been growing by more than 25 percent…
There are now nearly 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in 51 African nations, with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reporting 442 fatalities as of Monday. Yet as the global pandemic continues to impact the continent, there’s growing concern over the economic impacts as well. A newly released report…
China welcomed its New Year with President Xi Jinping acknowledging a “grave situation” as the country’s coronavirus epidemic continued to spread from Wuhan, in central Hubei province, to nearly all corners of mainland China. Confirmed cases also extended into 10 other nations, as well as Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan….
The Nigerian president’s announcement that he will not seek re-election at the end of his second term may put to rest the rumors that he’d be the next African leader pushing to extend his mandate. Yet it’s not likely to reduce the conflict Muhammadu Buhari faces with a fierce political…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
President Emmerson Mnangagwa proudly kicked off a Zimbabwean national dialogue process on Wednesday, amid the country’s ongoing political and economic crisis – but opposition leader Nelson Chamisa was among those staying away. Mnangagwa said the dialogue launch marked the fulfillment of a pledge made at his inauguration to advance the…
In Addis Ababa, President Sahle-Work Zewde met with his German counterpart Monday, and told President Frank-Walter Steinmeier that it was the right time for his nation to come to Ethiopia. That seemed evident when Steinmeier also participated in signing ceremonies with Volkswagen, as the German automaker announced an assembly plant…
When it comes to a unified African market – the topic of Tuesday’s panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos – Bernard Gautier, deputy CEO of French investment firm Wendel Group, made it easy to see the existing barriers to business and Africa’s economic growth. There’s an office…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
President Emmerson Mnangagwa returned to Zimbabwe to deal with the nation’s protests and political crisis, skipping a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that followed his official visits to Russia and Eastern Europe. The president defended his decision to raise fuel prices – the proximal cause of…
Zimbabwe’s security forces said Saturday that they’re not the ones responsible for a week of violent crackdowns on protesters and opposition political leaders in the economically troubled nation. Rather, it was “fake police,” and criminals and imposters in stolen military uniforms who brutalized civilians. The explanation was offered during a…
This isn’t the first time that Zimbabwe’s Pastor Evan Mawarire has been arrested. It’s not even the first time he’s been arrested for leading an economic protest because of gas prices and fuel shortages. Even as he appeared in court yet again Thursday morning in Harare, it’s clear that the…
By Miguel Sanz João Lourenço has been president of Angola since September 2017. About one year later, he cemented his hold on power by taking over the chairmanship of the ruling Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA). Although he reshuffled the government, for instance by replacing the transport minister, and the…
Christine Lagarde, managing director for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), completed a recent visit to Angola with a warning that the OPEC nation – Africa’s second largest oil producer, behind Nigeria – needs to shift away from its oil reliance. “Angola has come a long way since the end of…
The protests in Sudan spread to Khartoum and beyond on Thursday, as public anger over the country’s economic situation spilled across the nation with reports of fatalities in some cities. Marchers in Khartoum demanded an end to thieves and corruption, according to the Sudan Change Now political movement. The organization…
The “Gilets Jaunes” movement across France, a grassroots political opposition that takes its name from the yellow vests worn at protests, brought Paris to a standstill on Saturday as clashes and teargas filled the air – but France proper isn’t the only place seeing yellow-vest protests. The movement has taken…
Among the first heads of state to congratulate Brazil’s president-elect Jair Bolsonaro on Monday was President João Lourenço of Angola, leader of one of the six Lusophone nations in Africa that share membership in the Portuguese-speaking community (CPLP) and its most influential. Lourenço said he hopes the Bolsonaro victory will…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times