Nationals of African countries travelling to Kenya will no longer be required to apply for a visa before leaving for the East African country. President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the abolition of the pre-visa requirement when he took the oath of office for a second and final term on 28 November in Nairobi. “Today, I am directing that any African wishing …

Within a few years, the Sahel has become a region characterized by a dangerous entanglement of fundamentalist religion, terrorism and politics. From 13-19 November, the 10th edition of AFRIKAMERA – Latest Cinema from Africa mainly presented a selection of current feature and documentary films addressing the political and societal challenges of the West African region. AFRIKAMERA 2017, christened Talking about …

Crackdown comes after Anglophone insurgents kill soldiers and police officers, reports Mbom Sixtus* from Yahoundé The secessionist crisis in Cameroon’s western region is deepening, with the government promising to crack down hard after Anglophone militants shot dead four soldiers and two policemen last week. The soldiers were killed in an ambush on a military convoy outside the town of Mamfe …

A 709 carat uncut diamond discovered in March 2017 in Sierra Leone fetched a lower-than-expected $6.5m at a New York auction on Monday (4 December). The stone was found by diggers working for Pastor Emmanuel Momoh in Koryardu, located in the country’s eastern Kono district. It is one of the largest ever discovered in Sierra Leone and the 14th largest …

Five African teams were part of 32 others entered into a draw for the group stages of the 2018 World Cup in Russia on Friday. The five African teams are Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia. It turns out that from the final draw, Morocco and Nigeria will not have it easy in their respective groups as they face top …

Awagomè, 4 December 2017 – The Government of Togo’s “CIZO” initiative has made a significant stride forward as BBOXX, a new generation utility which provides reliable energy access to communities with its solar home systems, officially launched its operations in Togo today. President Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Republic of Togo, visited one of BBOXX’s first customers in the rural …

Human rights campaign group Amnesty International has described the plan agreed by EU and African leaders in Abidjan last Thursday to evacuate migrants stranded in Libya as unworkable. Franziska Vilmar, who works on asylum law and policy at the German branch of Amnesty International, told the German international broadcaster DW at the weekend that the plan was “unrealistic because the …

Gambians celebrated the first anniversary of the electoral defeat of long-serving leader Yahya Jammeh on Saturday. The main event saw President Adama Barrow addressing citizens about the victory of 2 December 2016 and warning that there was more work to be done to better the lives of the people. Jammeh until 2016 had been president of the Gambia for 22 …

British-Nigerian comedian TBoy (real name Tolulope Ogunmefun) is well known for his popular web series ‘Don’t Jealous Me’ which led to a spin off series that premièred on London Live last year. TBoy’s YouTube channel, which he launched in 2009, has been viewed over 41 million times and he has been entertaining fans, both young and old, with hilarious comedy …

From 29-30 November, 55 African and 28 European government representatives came together in Abidjan to adopt a new strategy for Africa. Despite the expectations, the end result was an utter disappointment, writes Barbara Wesel of the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, DW. This huge gathering of leaders in Côte d’Ivoire’s economic hub, Abidjan, was an ambitious event. Soldiers, gala dinners, …

Following harsh criticisms of its perceived indifference to the suffering of thousands of its citizens who are stranded in Libya, Nigeria’s federal government has finally swung into action. After meeting with heads of agencies in charge of migration in Abuja on Wednesday, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo announced that Nigeria was considering urgent and permanent solutions to the plight of Nigerians refugees …

Hundreds of people of African descent and their supporters marched through the streets of Cologne on Monday evening to express their anger and outrage at the widespread human rights violation of African migrants in Libya.   Speakers lament the racist treatment of Africans in North Africa pointing out that the CNN video footage of migrant auctioning was the tip of …

The EU-African Summit, bringing together African and European leaders in Abidjan from 29-30 November, is a chance to find a win-win solution, argues the International Crisis Group’s Elissa Jobson* Video footage of African migrants detained on their way to Europe being sold as slaves in Libya has provoked outrage and dismay in Africa and the wider international community. As a …

EU-support for Swaziland’s monarchy-controlled sugar industry undermines the fight for democracy, even though it nominally benefits smallholders, says new report from Danish solidarity organization, reports Peter Kenworthy. A new report from Afrika Kontakt commends the EU for supporting Swaziland’s sugar industry, which benefits thousands of smallholder growers of sugar cane. The problem is, however, that the smallholder growers are also …

As the EU-Africa Summit (29-30 November) kicks off in the Ivorian main city of Abidjan, a plan will be presented which analysts believe will spark an investment boom in Africa to generate employment for the continent’s youths. Chris Bishop* explains the plan and the challenges it faces. An effort that hopes to draw billions in investment in Africa from Europe …

Dozens of families of Moroccan migrants detained in Libya protested in Rabat on Monday, November 27, calling on Moroccan authorities to help their relatives return home as soon as possible. Sana Elouazi reports from Rabat Gathered in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarter in Rabat, the demonstrators, who came from several Moroccan cities, lambasted the “slowness” of authorities, …

South Africa’s Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters has been crowned Miss Universe 2017. The 22-year-old business management graduate beat 91 other contestants to the title in Las Vegas on Sunday night. Laura Gonzalez of Colombia was the first runner-up, with Davina Bennett of Jamaica the second runner-up.   Nel-Peters addressed women’s issues throughout the entire competition, impressing judges with her gracious heart and …

A high-level conference hosted by the European Parliament on 22 November in Brussels has highlighted the need to improve EU-Africa relations, reports Andreas Rogal*. Exactly a week before the start of the fifth EU-Africa summit – between the European Union and the African Union – in Abidjan, the European Parliament hosted a high-level conference on EU-Africa relations, ‘Towards a renewed …

The Black Community in Germany has again called for a public protest action against the enslavement of African migrants in Libya. The event will take place on Monday (27 November) in the western German city of Cologne. Under the motto ‘Stop Enslavement in Libya!’, the event is expected to be attended by more than 1,000 people who are outraged by …

Thousands of Zimbabweans from all walks of life celebrated the inauguration of the country’s new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, a man in whom many are placing their hopes for the future. Can he live up to the expectations of his countrymen and women? After a tumultuous two weeks of political brinkmanship, Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in on 24 November as Zimbabwe’s …