Africa records at least 229 COVID cases in 23 nations

Africa records at least 229 COVID cases in 23 nations

There are now at least 229 positive cases of the novel coronavirus on the African continent, according to health officials, with the first confirmed cases in Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Rwanda and Seychelles among them. The Department of Health on Seychelles said two of its citizens returned to the Indian Ocean…

Lightning strike kills 4 mountain gorillas in Uganda park

Lightning strike kills 4 mountain gorillas in Uganda park

The word “hirwa” means “lucky one” in Kinyarwanda, a language shared across regional borders in a pocket that includes parts of Rwanda, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and southern Uganda. Yet misfortune has struck nonetheless for the Hirwa mountain gorilla family living in the Virunga conservation area. Four of…

MTN, Mara advance the Connect Rwanda digital access challenge

The “Made in Africa” smartphones from Rwanda’s Mara Corporation have made a big splash, but there’s a much bigger vision through a “Connect Rwanda” campaign that hopes to put Mara and other smartphones in the hands of every household in the country. The program, launched in late December, relies on…

Rwanda becomes 15th nation in U.S. AFRICOM program

Rwanda is the latest African nation to join in a U.S. military program that partners members of its National Guard units from specific U.S. states with governments around the world. The signing ceremony pairing the Nebraska National Guard with Rwandans took place Thursday in Kigali. “State partnerships are integral to…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

How Africa is slowly turning the healthcare tide

Last week brought a landmark agreement between the World Health Organisation and the African Union, designed to help the continent push towards the goal of universal healthcare. Under the terms of the agreement, inked at the WHO’s headquarters in Geneva, the international organisation will provide specialist support to Africa’s medical…

Summit in Kigali aims to boost women’s entrepreneurship

In Kigali, the African Development Bank has kicked off its World Summit on Gender with appeals to improve women’s access to financial resources they need to grow businesses and boost development. And with that, they received an endorsement from AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina. “When women borrow, they always pay back….

U.S. pastor arrested, deported by Rwanda

In Rwanda, authorities say a Christian pastor from the United States arrested while in Kigali despite the ban on his radio station and ministry has been deported. The Rwandan Directorate General for Immigration and Emigration (DGIE) confirmed to New Times that Gregg Schoof was declared a prohibited immigrant and not permitted…

Rwanda to take in migrants detained in Libya

Migrants trapped in deteriorating conditions in Libya may be headed to Rwanda, following the announcement Tuesday of a deal between the central African nation, the African Union and the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, to evacuate them. “Under the agreement, the Government of Rwanda will receive and provide protection to…

Rwandan accused of genocide crimes sentenced in U.S.

A Rwandan man living in the United States since 2014 has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for his role in the 1994 genocide, which he failed to disclose to U.S. authorities when arriving in the country. Jean Leonard Teganya, 47, was a medical student at the National…

Africa showcases its startups at Viva Technology in Paris

President Emmanuel Macron of France wasn’t the only head of state to appear at Viva Technology in Paris, which wraps up the three-day expo on Saturday. Also on hand were President Macky Sall of Senegal and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who participated in the Africa Tech forum. They were…

Kagame visit to U.S. church meets with criticism

The human rights record of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda is under renewed scrutiny after he appeared at the weekend with Christian pastor Rick Warren, left, at his Saddleback Church to focus on reconciliation and the recovery of trauma. Kagame, who has a long relationship with Warren’s Baptist-affiliated megachurch in…