With the COVID-19 pandemic has come a global spike in the demand for oxygen, and 25 countries – most of them on the African continent – are reporting a surge in demand they cannot meet. To that end, global health officials announced Thursday the creation of a new COVID-19 Oxygen Emergency…
It’s official: Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria is now the first African and the first woman to serve as head of the World Trade Organization. The anticipated selection of Okonjo-Iweala, a former foreign minister as well as finance minister, was announced Monday by WTO. She will serve as director general…
Angola, Equatorial Guinea and South Sudan are among nations forecast to see 40 percent or more in lost revenues as the world moves away from fossil fuels, according to a report released Thursday by Carbon Tracker. They’re among the most vulnerable of 40 nations studied, with economies that rely on…
A decision by Dutch courts to hold oil giant Royal Dutch Shell responsible for damages in Nigeria was met with disappointment from the company, even as campaigners celebrated a victory in the years-long case over oil spills that affected farmers in villages near its pipelines. “This is a hopeful day…
UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, warns that some 10.4 million children – all in countries on the African continent with the exception of Yemen – face severe food insecurity and malnutrition in the coming year. The affected nations include Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), northeast Nigeria, the…
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed late Thursday that students abducted by Boko Haram last week have been released, calling it a huge relief for the country and the international community. The students were taken from the Government Science Secondary School in the northern town of Kankara in Katsina State. Aminu…
The International Criminal Court based in The Hague announced it will move forward to investigate crimes against humanity and war crimes in Nigeria, where Boko Haram’s activities and other attacks have gone on for years. The announcement was made Friday by ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. “My office has concluded…
Roughly half of the world’s malaria deaths occurred in just six African nations in 2019, while the progress achieved in reducing malaria cases in the last two decades has slowed. That’s according to the annual World Malaria Report released Monday by the World Health Organization. The six nations – Nigeria,…
The World Trade Organization says it is standing by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the most likely selection for the director general position, but that support comes as the United States seeks to block the accomplished Nigerian from becoming the first African woman to lead the WTO. “The candidate that had…
In Nigeria, the governor of Lagos State appealed for calm Wednesday as protesters defied a curfew and attacked police stations in retaliation for injuries and at least one death that followed violent clashes at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos. Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu confirmed a fatality caused by blunt force…
Humanitarian aid workers in Nigeria say that food prices have soared because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the cost is driving hunger in parts of the country that can ill afford yet another challenge. “Everywhere we work the food prices have gone up, in some places they doubled. It means…
The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the World Food Program (WFP) for its efforts to fight hunger, thereby improving the prospects for peace in global conflict zones and prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war. “The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to a strong upsurge in…
A new report from UNCTAD, the United Nations agency on trade and development, finds that African nations are losing an estimated US$88.6 billion every year in illicit financial flows (IFFs) across borders. IFFs are movements of money and assets that are illegal in source, transfer or use. These losses approach…
Alexander Nix, a director of companies linked to the former Cambridge Analytica firm and its role in elections in Kenya, Nigeria and other nations, will serve a seven-year suspension from acting as any firm’s director without court permission. The decision announced Thursday by the British government follows a high-profile investigation…
Social media giant Facebook announced Friday a new office in Lagos, Nigeria, meant to support operations in sub-Saharan Africa. It is expected to be operational next year. The office will be home to several teams for sales, partnerships and communication, as well as becoming the first Facebook office on the…