African News

Kenyan Clothing Factory Turns to Masks Overnight

A week ago, Josephine Wambua spent her days stitching gardening clothes. This week, the factory where she works transformed into an all-out effort to make 30,000 surgical masks a day in a country that barely produced any before. The factory's shift i

The Developmental Gains Africa had Made Erased

Up to 600 million people risk falling into poverty as major economies shut down to halt the spread of COVID-19, according to Oxfam's new report Dignity Not Destitution. The pandemic could push development gains back by as much as three decades in som

The Coronavirus Pandemic could Narrow One Gaping Inequality in Africa

Where some heads of state and other elite jet off to Europe or Asia for health care unavailable in their nations. As countries including their own impose dramatic travel restrictions, they might have to take their chances at home. For years, leaders

Malian Opposition Leader Still Missing

The United Nations Security Council has called for the "swift liberation" of kidnapped Malian opposition leader Soumaila Cisse and urged the government of Mali and armed groups to accelerate the implementation of a 2015 peace deal. Cisse was captured

COVID-19 Has Changed How Ghanaians Bury their Loved Ones

Funerals are a big deal in Ghana and it is not uncommon, in some parts, for a ceremony to last up to seven days, drawing thousands of crowds adorned in flowing red and black robes and gold jewelry. Some families even hire professional mourners to cry

Addis’ Plans to Go Cashless

Ethiopia's central bank will allow locally-owned non-financial institutions to start offering mobile money services as it seeks to boost non-cash payments in the country. The Horn-of-Africa nation is in the midst of massive economic reforms including

Africa’s Largest Slum against a Coronavirus Nightmare

In Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi and one of the largest slums in Africa, the biggest defenses against the spread of COVID-19—social distancing and frequent handwashing—are nearly impossible. Families cluster in 10-

Will Equatorial Guinea Bail VP Out?

An appeal court in France has fined Equatorial Guinea's vice-president $33m for using public money to fund his lavish lifestyle. Teodorin Obiang, 50, had challenged his 2017 conviction for embezzlement, but the court gave him a heavier sentence by re

Uganda and Tanzania in the Locusts’ Firing Line

Massive swarms of locusts sweeping across much of east Africa have reached Uganda and Tanzania, the United Nations has said, threatening millions more people with hunger in an already fragile region. Tanzania has detected swarms in its northern borde

Sudan to hand over Omar al-Bashir to ICC for Darfur crimes

Sudan is handing over ousted leader Omar al-Bashir to the International Court Court (ICC) over charges against humanity, war crimes and genocide, the Transitional Sovereign Council announced on Tuesday. Bashir evaded prosecution for more than a decad