AFRICA

A Berlin-based legal practitioner has warned Nigerians in Germany to be careful when procuring driving licence from their home country. He gave the advice while speaking with The African Courier, revealing that he was presently handling several cases involving fake driving licences from Nigeria which were submitted to the German authorities for recognition.

One of the media stories buzzing in Nigeria since it broke last week is that of a young woman abandoned by her husband because she and their two kids have blue eyes. Risikat Azeez, who lives in the central Nigerian state of Kwara, was dumped by her husband, Abdul-Wasiu Omo-Dada. The PUNCH, a daily newspaper, had reported in an exclusive …

The World Health Organisation (WHO), Regional Office for Africa located in Brazzaville, Congo, says there are over one million confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent. The UN health agency gave the update on its regional official Twitter account @WHOAFRO on Friday. WHO stated on its dashboard that “there are over 1,000,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent – …

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, says Africa has recorded over 15,000 COVID-19 deaths. The UN health agency gave the update on its regional official Twitter account @WHOAFRO on Wednesday. WHO stated on its dashboard that “there are over 748,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa, with more than 409,000 recoveries and 15,000 deaths.” READ …

Zindzi Mandela, South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark, has died at the age of 59. Ms Mandela – the daughter of Nelson and Winnie Mandela – died in the early hours of Monday (13 July) in a Johannesburg hospital.  She was the youngest daughter of the couple and is reputed to have spent many years involved in South Africa’s freedom struggle. …

The Democratic Republic of Congo marked its 60th independence anniversary on 30 June. Belgium’s King Philipe chose the occasion to apologise for his country’s horrendous atrocities against the Congolese people during its colonial occupation of the vast African country. How genuine is the apology? Femi Awoniyi takes a look at the situation of the troubled African country against the background …

BOOK REVIEW It is easy, as the western media often do, to dismiss Africa as a continent of misery where nothing new happens except this misery is recycled in new varieties: corruption, hunger, wars, etc. But nobody pauses to take a harder look into the past of this troubled continent and find how its terrible history has played a part …

Kenya won the much-coveted UN Security Council seat after beating its African rival Djibouti in second-round voting in New York on Thursday Kenya has been elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, defeating Djibouti for a seat designated for African countries. UN Member States chose the country in a second round of voting on Thursday in the General …

Funmi Ajala* writes on the worsening security situation in Nigeria, currently ravaged by a combination of a particularly brutal Islamist terrorism and widespread murderous banditry. —– Loss of Monopoly of Control In his explosive book, Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink, retired American diplomat John Campbell retorted that, “The (Nigerian) federal government has failed to provide basic security for its citizens and has …

Kenya and Djibouti will battle for a seat on the UN Security Council on Wednesday (17 June) during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, holding at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The seat is one of the one of the five vacant slots reserved for non-permanent members. Kenya is set to contribute its wealth of …

How one social enterprise is working to protect and support street children in Africa as stigma, a broken system and a global pandemic put them at risk LAGOS, Nigeria, June 15, 2020,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- As the sun rises over deserted streets, a group of volunteers prepares for their day. For a few hours – from late morning until curfews …

Burundi’s outgoing president, Pierre Nkurunziza, died unexpectedly on Monday after suffering a heart attack, the government says. He was admitted to hospital on Saturday after feeling unwell, his condition improved but on Monday he had a cardiac arrest and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, officials say. The death of 55-year-old Nkurunziza, who was due to stand down in August …

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group advocating for a separate state for the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria, has been accused of working to discredit the Nigerian government internationally. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made the allegation in a statement on Sunday. According to him, the group is leading a …

Africa against all predictions of international organisations has until now been the least affected region by the new coronavirus pandemic. Mabingue Ngom, Director of the West and Central African Regional Office of the United Nations Population Fund, explains how the lessons learnt from earlier outbreaks of the Ebola epidemic have largely helped the continent avoid the worst predicted for it …

In a new opinion article, entitled “Post-Coronavirus, Africa’s Manufacturing Moment”, written for the American news magazine, President Muhammadu Buhari explains how Africa is set to face the reality after the global health crisis, by boosting its manufacturing sector, providing jobs for its teeming population of unemployed youth and addressing the issue of poverty on the continent. Below is the article …

Meet the Winners of Africa.com's Brilliant African Innovations Against COVID-19 Competition

If there’s one important lesson the #COVID19 pandemic will teach us, it’s that we need to invest in health infrastructure across the world, and particularly in Africa, says Babatunde Omilola, Manager for Public Health, Security and Nutrition Division at the African Development Bank. Like every other pandemic that the world has experienced in the past, coronavirus will eventually come to …

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday took a swipe at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) under President Muhammadu Buhari. This followed the Twitter altercations between the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami and the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, over office accommodation. The main opposition party said the Council had …

The news of the eviction of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) from its office in Abuja is causing indignation in the country’s diaspora community. The Chairman/CEO of the Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, announced at the weekend that the government agency charged with linking the country with the millions of its citizens living abroad was currently homeless. She explained that …

Africa 2.0 members share a collection of short opinion pieces about the impact of the global pandemic on African and Afro-descendant communities and offer views on what this may mean for the future. ACCRA, Ghana, May 12th, 2020, -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The future can be shaped by our collective imagination, so we must share our vision. That is one …