Jordanian psychologist Manar Bashara conducts a counselling session at a mental health clinic in Azraq refugee camp run by UNHCR and the International Medical Corps. Every day she sees around five people. © UNHCR/Lilly Carlisle
Q&A: ‘Before the pandemic, refugee mental health was severely overlooked. Now it’s a full-blown crisis’ UNHCR’s Senior Mental Health Officer Pieter Ventevogel says COVID-19 has been a tipping point for many refugees in distress. But with the crisis comes an opportunity.
Bishar A. Hussein, Director General of the UPU (Photo UPU)
SWITZERLAND: This year the UN is marking its 75th anniversary with the UN75 initiative, which, throughout 2020 has gathered public perspectives on global challenges and ideas on how to tackle them.
Mr. Yofi Grant, CEO Ghana Investment Promotion Centre. ( Photo: GIPC)
GHANA: Ghana has recorded total investments of US$869.47 million, with total FDI value amounting to US$785.62 million between January to June 2020 as FDI inflow showed rare strength in the final moments of the second quarter of the year, undeterred by the Covid-19 pandemic. The total FDI of US$785.62 million represents investment recorded by the Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC) (https://www.GIPCGhana.com/) and the Petroleum Commission.
Verena Utzinger (File Photo SABC)
Africa Business Day (ABD) took on a new virtual form in 2020 in a bid to ensure with certainty that it could be conducted in a safe and meaningful way in the current context of COVID-19. The innovation coincides with its 10 anniversary.
Verena Utzinger (File Photo SABC)
Africa Business Day (ABD) took on a new virtual form in 2020 in a bid to ensure with certainty that it could be conducted in a safe and meaningful way in the current context of COVID-19. The innovation coincides with its 10 anniversary.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, pan Igbo cultural organization has disassociated the Igbo nation and people from statements credited to the leader of Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on the destruction of Yoruba assets in Lagos.
NIGERIA: The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has condemned in very strong terms the unwarranted shooting and killing of unarmed protesters by security men in different parts of the country.
Pan-African housing development financier Shelter Afrique has signed an agreement with the Rwanda Social Security Board to scale up the development of large-scale affordable housing in Kinyinya, a suburb of Kigali city, according to an official statement recently issued in Kigali.
The continent’s largest development finance institutions have emphasized that a sustained and collaborative approach among development partners to scale up project development activities, will boost the number of bankable projects attracting investor interest and contribute to closing the infrastructure finance gap in Africa.
(From left to right) Vera Songwe, Irene Ochem and Arunma Oteh, former Vice President and Treasurer of the World Bank and Academic Scholar, Oxford University(Source: (AWIEF)
SOUTH Africa: The 6th edition of the annual conference and Award of the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum will hold on 2nd and 3rd December 2020. The theme of the edition according to the organization is: “Reimagining business and rebuilding better.”
Chief Obasanjo
NIGERIA: Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has appealed to the government and people of Nigeria to eschew violence and embrace peace and dialogue in finding solutions to the challenges “we face as a country”
Some of the over 2,523 pupils benefitting from the project
Uganda: For several years now, typhoid fever and diarrhoea cases have fallen significantly in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, especially in the major district of Kawempe, according to an African Development Bank report published on 7 October.
Fruit seller Diana Kumi is also known as the “Queen Mother of Oranges” at her market
GHANA: In Ashaiman, a district town in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region, shoppers know they can count on Diana Kumi to have the municipality’s freshest fruit for sale. However, for years, Esi Maame Kumi – also known by her popular nickname “Queen Mother of Oranges” in the Twi language – held court in a crowded open-air market that she describes as more like an open sewer.
Switzerland : At an extraordinary meeting held on 18 October 2020, the Federal Council took several measures across Switzerland to counter the sharp increase in infections with the corona virus. Starting from Monday, October 19, spontaneous gatherings of more than 15 people are prohibited in public spaces. A mask must be worn in public places. A mask requirement also applies in all train stations, airports and at bus and tram stops.
VP Osinbajo (Businessday.ng)
NIGERIA: The National Economic Council has directed the immediate establishment of State-based Judicial Panels of Inquiry across the country to receive and investigate complaints of Police brutality or related extra-judicial killings with a view to delivering justice for all victims of the dissolved SARS and other police units, according to a release from the office of the Vice President of Nigeria
Noël Koutera Bataka
(Togo First) - Togo’s minister of agriculture, Noël Koutera Bataka, wants to put an end to the illegal fertilizer trade in the country. “It was brought to my attention that some informal networks importing fertilizers of questionable quality feed illicit supply chains across the Togolese territory,” he declared.
Johnson Odibo NIDO Swiss President
"A village is not made up of a handful of heroes, but of many people" - CHINUA ACHEBE (Things Fall Apart).
The Nigerians in the Diaspora Organization (NIDO) is made up of the Nigerians living in Diaspora. About 6,351 Nigerians live in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In line with the Central Vision of NIDO Europe, NIDO Swiss brings Nigerians living in Switzerland and Liechtenstein together; to identify those willing to offer their skills to assist Nigeria’s national development.
(AU) The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), in partnership with the International Health Regulations (IHR) Strengthening Project of Public Health England (PHE), launched a new web-based tool, AVoHC Net, to facilitate rapid deployment and better administration of a standby workforce for public health emergencies across Africa.
(APA) The BUA Group, a Nigerian conglomerate concentrating on manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture, has signed a deal with Axens of France to refine 200,000 barrels per day of crude oil in Nigeria.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and President Paul Kagame (l)
(AfDB) - African leaders on Tuesday reaffirmed their support for the African Development Bank Group and its leadership under Dr. Akinwumi Adesina as he begins his second five-year term with a renewed mandate to foster sustainable development on the continent.
(AfDB) - As the prevalence of COVID-19 accelerates across Africa, over 40% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to clean water and are unable to heed the advice of health experts to wash their hands as a primary way to stop the spread of the virus. Preventing infection thus remains out of reach for many.
Mondia Pay to become the preferred digital payment solution for African telcos (Source: Mondia)
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Mondia Pay digital payment entity, says it is in the process of acquiring more new clients which can lead it to become “the preferred digital payment solutions provider for telecom operators across Africa.” It disclosed that, last year, it registered 5.3 billion transactions on its platform with telcos across the continent.
Source: African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD)
SOUTH AFRICA – AUDA-NEPAD (the African Union Development Agency and the New Economic Partnership for Africa’s Development) has announced the launch of the MSME Academy, in partnership with Ecobank Group.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Canon Central and North Africa proudly showcased the compact and versatile 5.9K CCNA next-generation professional Cinema EOS System cameras. African Film directors, including Kunle Afolayan and Merzak Allouache, hailed the EOS C500 Mark II which elevates their latest productions. During the inauguration of the camera, Canon unveiled a knowledge-sharing initiative for the African filmmaking community.
Victor Williams (Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)(Source: National Basketball Association (NBA)
USA – The Commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Adam Silver has announced the appointment of Victor Williams as the CEO of NBA Africa, effective 17 August 2020.
More News
Marieme Esther Dassanou
An Interview with the creator Giselle Rufer
DELANCE SWISS WATCHES
UAE makes Avani Barbarons Resort Available to Seychelles
SEYCHELLES, 04 April 2020
Under the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the ‘Avani Barbarons Seychelles Resort’ will be made available to the Government of Seychelles to be used by the Department of Health as a facility to accommodate their health personnel and supporting frontline service members, in the efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19.
In addition to our weekly brief on the spread of COVID-19 and the actions that Africa CDC is taking to help member states, Africa CDC has begun to share a weekly brief detailing the latest changes in scientific knowledge and public health policy changes, as well as updates to the latest guidance from WHO and others.
(Ecofin Agency) - The United States announced the freezing of $130 million worth of aid to Ethiopia. The measure is to pressure the country as part of the negotiations for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
(Togo First) - Togo will try to raise 25 billion FCFA on the regional financial market by September 11.
“(Business in Cameroon) - Ibom Air currently deploys a fleet of five 90-seat Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets,” an article published on Forbes on August 4, informed.
For the 2020 crop year, the operational teams of Bolloré Transport & Logistics have processed 10,575 tonnes, or 940 TEU, of mangos via air and maritime transport.
SWITZERLAND – Simonetta Sommaruga, President of the Switzerland, Ignazio Cassis, Federal Councillor and Norman Gobbi the president of the Ticino cantonal council will open the new Ceneri Base Tunnel, and will officially hand it over to the operator Swiss railways, SBB on 4 September.
SOUTH AFRICA – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted that his government had made missteps in efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic, but the lockdown was needed to lessen the disease from spreading among the people.
WorldStage Newsonline – The Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) have urged the Federal Government to intervene in the heavy import duties they used to pay for imported meters.
The Rwandan Ministry of Education is considering the recruitment of 7,200 teachers to support the development of a 12 year basic-education especially in remote rural areas as schools are set to reopen in September, an official source confirmed Tuesday to APA in Kigali.
According to Dr Irenée Ndayambaje, the Director General of the Rwanda Education Board, the recruitment intends to bridge the student-teacher ratio which stands at 59:1 in primary and 29:1 in secondary schools.
[Nation] Kenya's Covid-19 deaths have risen exponentially in the past two weeks, a trend that has health officials worried.
[WHO] Dakar -- Senegal's Institut Pasteur was one of only two laboratories in Africa able to test for COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic in early 2020. The institution's director, Dr Amadou Sall, speaks about the efforts Senegal has made to strengthen testing as well as the challenges faced.
[Daily Maverick] The Covid-19 pandemic has given rise to a number of urban projects that provide opportunities to build community. Among those that are seeding hope and neighbourhood connection are projects that involve gardens and bicycles.
[Capital FM] Nairobi -- The health ministry announced 276 more coronavirus cases on Monday picked from 2,162 samples analyzed over a period of 24 hours.
[Vanguard] The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) weekend banned all products manufactured by Mars Remedies PVT Limited, India over falsification of Ciprofloxacin Tablets BP 500mg with NAFDAC registration number NO C4-0498 for Pinnacle Health Pharmaceutical Ltd.
[Nairobi News] Kenya on Monday recorded her highest Covid-19 deaths as 18 patients succumbed to the virus overnight bringing the country's death toll to 920.
[FrontPageAfrica] Accra -- Princess Barrolle, the Liberian-born Afro-Beat/Reggae, and Soul singer are upbeat about the launch of her upcoming album, Desire, a project two years in the making that showcases her vocal range as a solid artist and performer.
[263Chat] Controversial musician Soul Jah Love (real name Soul Musaka) has come to for his counterpart, Jah Master's rescue following the latter's fall out with music lovers.
[New Zimbabwe] Popular Zim hip-hop musician, Mgcini Calvin Nhliziyo, better known as "That Luveve boy" has died.
[Nairobi News] Deputy President William Ruto is set to feature in the video of remix to Gengetone music group Wakali Wao's titled 'Mboka ni Mboka.
[Cameroon Tribune] He spits fire in his recent hit titled "Njansang" whose video was released October 11, 2020.
[New Dawn] One of the Liberia'sinternational artists based in Australia,Kolando Baby Zulu, popularly known as 'Kzee-Bigname' urges local musicians here to produce songs or music that portrays Liberian culture.
[Daily News] IN attempts to improve Science teaching and address the subject shortage of teachers in some schools, Magare Company in Mwanza through its managing director has agreed to employ six teachers for a local public school.
[Nation] Public schools heads want the Ministry of Education to direct parents to pay school fees for their children who reported back a week ago, saying majority of learners did not pay for second term.
[FrontPageAfrica] Monrovia -- The Senior Pastor of the historic Providence Baptist Church in Liberia, Rev. Dr. Samuel B. Reeves, Jr. has been elected as the new President of the Liberia Baptist Missionary And Educational Convention (LBMEC).
[Vanguard] Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has directed schools in Ibadan to resume normal academic activities from Monday.
[Premium Times] The directive followed a review of the situation in the Ibadan metropolis as earlier promised by Gov Makinde
[GroundUp] Over 470,000 children at 1,010 Western Cape schools depend on the National School Nutrition Programme for food.
[Citizen] Dar es Salaam -- October 2020 Viettel Tanzania Public Limited Trading as Halotel is still celebrating five years of its service since it started its operations in Tanzania. For all that time, the company has managed to achieve its goals to the maximum, which includes increasing of number for its subscribers.
[MAP] Brussels -- Irish low-cost airline Ryanair announced that it will resume operating flights to Morocco for the 2020/2021 winter season.
[The Point] His Excellency the President of the Republic of The Gambia has confirmed the appointment of the acting Director General (DG) of The Gambia Tourism Board (GTBOARD), Abubacarr S. Camara to director general.
[Daily Trust] The CEO of Hillview Travels Ltd, Aliyu B. Malabu, in this exclusive interview speaks to why he wants to revive Mambilla Air. He also spoke on the state of Nigeria's aviation industry, and doubted the feasibility of having a national carrier in the lifetime of this government.
[New Times] Rwanda has made it to the Forbes' list of top 20 best destinations to travel to in 2021.
[Ghanaian Times] The Minority in Parliament is questioning the circumstances under which Frontiers Health Services Limited was awarded the contract to test passengers for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Kotoka International Airport.
Ferhat Bouda is a photographer on a mission. His goal: to preserve Berber culture and celebrate its strong women. His images are as impressive as his life.
Swiss photographers Mathias Braschler and Monika Fischer spent months traveling across the US taking pictures of people from all walks of life.
Photos collected by Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sisi, are on display in an exhibition in Cologne, shedding a new light on her character.
From weightlifting teen girls in Egypt to the saga of a Russian clown, there's a lot on offer during the 2020 edition of the documentary film festival.
The world’s not exactly a stage for women forced out of the arts by COVID-19. Combining wit, resilience and lockdown experiences, female artists continue to create works that inspire hope — despite mounting challenges.
An attack on artefacts on Berlin's Museum Island has shocked museums worldwide. How can the protection of such artworks be improved, and how many more safety measures do they need?
[New Dawn] A Liberian female, Ms. Estella M.S. Browne has cautioned youths in the country, particularly young girls to wake up and add values to their lives.
[African Union] The Special Envoy of the African Union Chairperson on Women, Peace and Security has followed closely recent tragic developments in Nigeria and wishes to echo the concerns expressed by the Chairperson of the African Commission, His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, and second the call made by the Nigeria Chapter of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN).
[Daily Maverick] Despite a lot of noise and policy reform, South Africa remains one of the cruelest countries for women in the world. But we need to press on.
[Swazi Media] Swaziland Gender Links is to host a two-day summit and launch a Women in Local Economic Development network (WLED).
[Nation] Women leaders, among them Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, have thrown their weight behind the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report, but called for a clear implementation matrix to the gender equality proposals outlined.
[Observer] Marie Gareth Nizigama, UN Women Liberia country: "UN Women has not given any money before and will not give money to any candidate or implementing partner."
Belarusian factory workers, students and pensioners have taken to the streets in a nationwide strike. President Alexander Lukashenko remains defiant after 11 weeks of mass protests.
For years, Germany has lagged behind its peers in terms of the number of women in senior management and executive positions in the corporate sector. The pandemic is threatening to make matters worse.
Ferhat Bouda is a photographer on a mission. His goal: to preserve Berber culture and celebrate its strong women. His images are as impressive as his life.
Swiss photographers Mathias Braschler and Monika Fischer spent months traveling across the US taking pictures of people from all walks of life.
Photos collected by Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sisi, are on display in an exhibition in Cologne, shedding a new light on her character.
An artificial beach strip in Manila Bay has environmentalists up in arms. Scientists warn its dolomite sand could harm people's health and marine wildlife.
[Nation] Mogadishu -- The Lower House of Somalia's Federal Parliament has approved the new Cabinet formed by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble last Monday.
[Citizen] Dar es Salaam -- Chadema presidential candidate Tundu Lissu claimed yesterday there were vote-rigging plans on the October 28 polls meant to deny the opposition victory across all the electoral levels.
[Daily Trust] The Federal Government has warned that the nation risks resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the large gatherings of the #EndSARS protests and the violence that followed.
[This Day] The federal government has urged those who took away medicines and vaccines stored in its warehouses across the country to return them to avoid harmful effects.
[Seychelles News Agency] Seychelles' newly elected leader, Wavel Ramkawalan, was sworn in as the country's fifth president in a ceremony at State House in the country's capital on Monday.
[Nation] Leaders and members of the public from across the country have gathered at Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi for the official unveiling of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report.
For years, Germany has lagged behind its peers in terms of the number of women in senior management and executive positions in the corporate sector. The pandemic is threatening to make matters worse.
Growing civil unrest across Thailand could deal a big blow to its economy, already battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. A cursory glance through Thailand's history with its many coups only amplifies those concerns.
One in three German cars are sold in China. The world's largest car market is increasingly developing into a lifeline for manufacturers during the coronavirus pandemic. But this also creates risks.
[SAnews.gov.za] The trilateral negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will resume on Tuesday, 27 October 2020, following a seven-week break.
[Monitor] All public leaders have been directed to register and declare their wealth through the Inspectorate of Government (IG)'s online declaration system.
[allAfrica] Cape Town -- Days after President Donald Trump accused Ethiopia of breaking a deal he had negotiated over Egypt's rights to water from the Nile, the African Union is kick-starting renewed trilateral talks on the issue between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.
[FrontPageAfrica] Monrovia -- Orange-Liberia has extended its sponsorship with the Liberia Football Association (LFA) for three years valued at nearly one million United States dollars (US$1 million).
[FrontPageAfrica] Monrovia -- Defending Liberia Football Association Second Division Champions Barrack Young Controller have completed the signing of Watanga FC young defender Henry Sakama.
[Nairobi News] Harambee Stars head coach Jacob "Ghost" Mulee has named his squad for the upcoming back-to-back 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers (AFCON) against Comoros scheduled for next month.
[SAPS] Good Afternoon to you all.
[allAfrica] Cape Town -- Every year since Senzo Meyiwa's death, a new lead surfaces, pointing to possible arrests.
[Namibian] DRIKUS Coetzee and Michelle Vorster took the main honours at Namibia's premier cycling race, the Tour de Windhoek over the weekend.
[UNEP] Burkina Faso country is implementing several multilateral environmental agreements - including the National Economic and Social Development Plan (2016-2020), which envisages "strong, sustainable and inclusive economic growth." But transformational change is no small feat. In 2019, Burkina Faso ranked 141 out of 162 countries in terms of progress toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
[Daily News] Sustainable Development Goals are a set of international development goals in plan from 2015 to 2030 that was adopted by the UN Sustainable Development Summit held in September 2015 building on the success of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
[ANGOP] Lubango -- At least 225 rural schools will be set up later this month in th e provinces of Huila, Namibe and Cunene, with a view to increasing the resilience of peasant families and helping to improve agricultural production.
[Observer] As we commemorate the 75th Birth Anniversary of the United Nations on October 24, 2020, we know that the United Nations was founded to bring peace to the world. Peace to the world can come only when there is Justice for All. In the midst of the prevailing violence globally, especially in West Africa, let us become motivated to end poverty so that it can no longer be used as a pretext for violence, including Civil War.
[The Conversation Africa] Nigeria has an estimated population of about 206 million, making it the seventh most populous country in the world. The country's population is projected to increase to 263 million in 2030 and 401 million in 2050 when it will become the third most populous country in the world.
[New Times] Rwanda has launched an ambitious Rwf31.9 billion landscape restoration project that will restore the natural forests of Amayaga in Rwanda's Southern Province and benefit 1.3 million Rwandans.
[Nation] I had the distinct honour of playing some role in the decoupling of Safaricom from Telkom Kenya.
[This Day] Country Manager, Dimension Data Nigeria, Olugbenga Olabiyi, speaks on the company's recent rebranding and its commitment to drive the Nigerian enterprise market through enhanced customers' experience. Excerpts:
[Nairobi News] President Uhuru Kenyatta praised a 26-year-old Kenyan innovator who earned global recognition with his invention of smart hand gloves capable of converting sign language movements into audio speech.
South Africa: Science and Innovation Establishes a Platinum Valley to Serve As an Industrial Cluster
[Govt of SA] South Africa is to establish a Platinum Valley that will serve as an industrial cluster bringing various hydrogen applications in the country together to form an integrated hydrogen ecosystem. The initiative is part of the government's economic recovery plans.
[Govt of SA] Platinum Valley project to pull SA's hydrogen initiatives into one ecosystem
[The Herald] Agric, Environment & Innovations Editor