The Minamata Convention on Mercury enters into force today, following a 90-day period since the necessary threshold of 51 ratifications was achieved in May. The Minamata Convention enters into force with 128 signatory nations and 74 ratifying countries, including the most recent addition of Brazil last week. Among the countries…
Malaysian officials say they have seized another illegal shipment of pangolin scales as it passed through Kuala Lampur International Airport (KLIA) late last week. The 288 kilograms of pangolin scales were packed in sacks inside 12 cardboard boxes labeled as oyster shells, according to a report Wednesday by the Malaysia…
German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed her case for investment in Africa on Monday as part of the G20’s Compact for Africa initiative, the focus of two-day meetings in Berlin. Merkel, whose nation holds the current G20 presidency, welcomed African leaders from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Tunisia, the three nations that…
Ghana’s heightened struggle with illegal gold mining has claimed another victim, this time in the lynching incident at Denkyira-Obuasi, according to a family member of Capt. Maxwell Adam Mahama. Mahama, the soldier who was killed in the town by an angry mob on Monday, reportedly was assigned to the region…
Muslims across Africa and around the globe begin the holy month of Ramadan this weekend, with some variations among countries based on how their religious authorities interpret the visibility of the moon that signals the start of the fast. In Saudi Arabia, the High Judicial Court said that the moon…
The work of acclaimed Ghanaian artist El Anatsui commanded the top price at this week’s Sotheby’s auction, the first modern and contemporary African art sale held by the London house. “Earth Developing More Roots” sold for £728,750, or about USD$945,000, said Sotheby’s in a press release. The sculpture created in…
The Ghana Armed Forces, in response to recent media reports, denies that its soldiers are involved in the country’s illegal mining operations or providing security and assistance to those who are. In a statement issued Tuesday, GAF spokesman Col. Eric Aggrey-Quarshie challenged information that surfaced last week during a panel…
Saturday’s March for Science is based in Washington DC, but people all over the globe will be joining in some 610 satellite marches registered across the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa. That includes a march in Malawi, sponsored by the Blantyre Malaria Project. The event in Blantyre is spearheaded…
The Geeks on a Plane Africa tour heads for Johannesburg and Cape Town this week, after successful meetings with tech entrepreneurs and startups in Ghana and Nigeria. Beginning Tuesday in Johannesburg, they’ll be visiting the Braamonfontein Cluster tech hub and the Sw7 tech accelerator. More than 20 participants also will…
Ghanians celebrate the 60th anniversary of the nation’s independence Monday, with events that include the 6th March Parade at Independence Square in Accra. The day celebrates the country’s 1957 independence from Britain, a milestone considered the first for sub-Saharan nations on the African continent and an achievement that advanced the end…
Top Facebook executive Chris Cox visited Ghana on Wednesday, part of a weeklong visit to three West African nations to connect with tech entrepreneurs. Cox, the Chief Product Officer for Facebook, checked out the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in Accra to share ideas about innovation and business development….
The Liberian government has partnered with an environmental group to launch a new effort at curbing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing – and so far, they’ve made arrests on three poaching vehicles. The Sea Shepherd organization has been patrolling the West African waters off Liberia for almost four weeks,…
Agribusiness and agriculture are primed to be the catalysts of Africa’s economic transformation and development in the coming years. According to the World Bank, they are both expected to form a USD $1 trillion industry by 2030 in Sub-Saharan Africa whilst representing 45 percent of the continent’s GDP. Considering the connection between…
Benjamin Musampa is a research associate at l'Observatoire des Amériques
“On a sunny morning in Ghana, the ingredients for pangolin love are falling into place.” So begins this weekend’s launch of Pangolin Love, the 2017 Valentine’s Day campaign that uses the popular Google Doodle search engine feature to raise awareness about the endangered pangolin, in partnership with pangolin friends from…
Botswana was a bright spot among African nations ranked in the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index, released Wednesday by the Transparency International Organization based in Berlin, Germany. The southern African nation ranked 35th on the list of 176 nations evaluated for good governance, public transparency and accountability, their standards for integrity…