The World Bank has formally launched its US$93 billion in funding commitments to help low-income countries build up their economies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other setbacks, with funds sourced in part from 52 donor nations through the IDA20 replenishment. The funding is meant to target “overlapping crises—climate…
Condolences poured in from across the world over the death of Japan’s former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, with the leaders of African nations expressing sorrow over the tragic shooting Friday during Abe’s speech in the city of Nara. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, prime minister of Mauritius, said he was deeply shocked…
Japan is looking to expand its presence on the African continent, with trade and investment taking center stage during the Japan-Africa Public-Private Economic Forum held in Nairobi. The event attracted seven ministerial-level leaders and over 200 participants from 15 countries, according to the Kenyan trade ministry. Among them was Takako…
With just 65 days to go before the opening ceremony of the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the International Olympic Committee said Wednesday it is prepared to hold the games despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the organizational challenges. John Coates, head of the IOC Coordination Commission, issued a…
A China at odds with neighboring Japan denied any concerns over the latter’s engagement of African leaders as they attend the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which began Wednesday. That denial followed reports speculating that the Japanese didn’t release information about African leaders attending the conference because…
Akinwumi Adesina, president for African Development Bank Group, delivered a keynote address Wednesday as the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) kicked off with its emphasis on climate change and hunger. “In spite of all the gains made in agriculture, we are not winning the global war against…
The United Nations Security Council has again expressed “grave concern” over developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the death toll from the Ebola virus outbreak has reached 1,843 people, according to the latest numbers from the World Health Organization. The 15-member council issued its statement through current council…
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa is attending the annual G20 Leaders’ Summit, a two-day meeting that began Friday in Osaka, Japan. Ramaphosa joined other world leaders in a discussion of the global economy at a time when trade tensions and concerns over economic growth dominate the agenda. The South…
Two doctors, one working in Uganda and the other in Democratic Republic of Congo, have been named as this year’s recipients of the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize. The award established by the Japanese government honors people and organizations dedicated to research and medical advances that fight disease in Africa. Dr….
In a first for Japan, the country’s International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed a new loan agreement with the African Development Fund to provide USD$700.9 million to address poverty and support economic growth. “We hope the loans and grants will be used effectively to improve economic and social conditions of…
Kenya has developed its first satellite and, in partnership with the Japanese space agency JAXA, will deploy it from the International Space Station (ISS) in spring. The cube satellite was developed at the University of Nairobi as part of a global program of the United Nations Office for Outer Space…
Egyptian lawmakers on Monday approved a long-awaited law formally establishing the nation’s space agency, while announcing a planned research satellite launch with partners Japan and China. Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, showed MPs a model of the satellite and said its components will be built…
Japan says it’s committing USD$3 million to combat the spread of Fall armyworm pests in South Sudan, where the scarcity of food amid protracted conflict means that its people can ill afford additional insect damage to crops. “Under the current situation where nearly half of South Sudan’s population is estimated…
Members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, meeting in an emergency session on Monday, expressed alarm over North Korea’s nuclear bomb test at the weekend. The security council members, including representatives of Egypt, Senegal and Ethiopia, condemned the test and explored options for dealing with Pyongyang that include new…
Two Namibian firms doing business with North Korea have fallen under new sanctions imposed by Japan, as tensions with Pyongyang have escalated in recent months. Those tensions reached new heights on Tuesday after North Korea launched a missile that flew over Japanese territory at Hokkaido, landing in the Pacific Ocean…