AFRICA

The Rwandan government has begun enforcing a ban on cosmetics products used for lightening or “bleaching” skin. The creams are being removed from shelves across the country as the government cracks down on the sale of the harmful cosmetic product. Many observers however fear that the ban in Rwanda may encourage women to buy unregulated products which could put their …

Nigeria will vote on 16 February in the country’s fifth presidential election since the restoration of democracy in 1999. Olalekan Waheed Adigun, the author of the fast-selling book Witnessing The Change, analyses the factors that will decide the crucial election, mainly a battle between  incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling APC and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the main …

Gabon’s government has announced that a group of soldiers who seized the national radio station in an apparent coup attempt early on Monday have been arrested. The “situation is under control”, government spokesman Guy-Bertrand Mapangou told Radio France Internationale (RFI), just hours after the soldiers announced they were “restoring democracy” in a message on state radio. Four of the five …

Participants from different African countries and the diaspora gathered in Accra between 8-13 December to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first All-African People’s Conference (AAPC). The event marks the 1958 congress, which also took place in Accra and that brought together freedom fighters from all over Africa, including independent and colonised states, to strategise on how to free the …

The electioneering campaign for Nigeria’s next general polls hots up as the vice-presidential candidates of the leading five parties square up in a televised debate today (Friday, 14 December) at 7 pm. Those to participate at the debate, organized by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group and the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, are Prof Yemi Osinbajo of the ruling APC, Peter Obi …

Following a recent United Nations Security Council resolution, the Swiss government has decided to lift targeted sanctions against Eritrea. The sanctions – that include an arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes – were repealed on Friday, said a government statement. The UN Security Council had imposed the sanctions in December 2009 after Eritrea was suspected of supporting armed groups …

Less than three months to Nigeria’s next presidential election, a coalition of opposition parties have adopted a common candidate for what analysts say will be a tough poll. The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has announced its selection of the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate,  Atiku Abubakar, as its candidate in the 2019 presidential election. By this decision, the CUPP …

Pan-Africanists from all over the world will gather in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, from 8-13 December to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first All-African People’s Conference (AAPC). The event marks the 1958 congress, which also took place in Accra and that brought together freedom fighters from all over Africa, including independent and colonised states, to strategise on …

President Muhammadu Buhari has finally reacted to reports that he had been cloned. While addressing Nigerians in the Polish city of Krakow on Saturday, the Nigerian leader said some people had wished him dead when he was sick for many months. Responding to a question from a Nigerian resident in the country who wanted to know if he was real …

Nigeria’s campaign season was officially flagged off on Sunday by the country’s election commission and the two leading candidates for the presidential polls wasted no time to present their plans to the electorate. President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday asked Nigerians to re-elect him in 2019, primarily to keep fighting the corruption war his administration started in 2015. He also stated …

Over 2 million Unintended Pregnancies & 735,000 Unsafe Abortions Prevented Since July 2017 A groundbreaking international report released today (12 November) shows over 1.7 million additional users of modern contraception in Nigeria since 2012, as the government works to expand family planning services. The report shows modern methods of contraception have prevented over 2 million unintended pregnancies and 735,000 unsafe …

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Abike Dabiri-Erewa as the first chairman and chief executive officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM). Ms Dabiri-Erewa, who is currently the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, was a member of the House of Representatives representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency in Lagos from 2003-2015. Nigeria Senate president, Bukola Saraki, …

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has released its annual assessment of the quality of governance in African countries. The 2018 Ibrahim Index names Mauritius as the best-governed and Somalia the worst-governed among the 54 countries in the continent. The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) ), which was launched in 2007, is generated by measuring Safety & Rule of Law, Participation …

Nigerians in the Diaspora are very concerned with the situation of their home country which is why it’s always the main topic whenever they gather. The time of talking seems to be nearing its end as some are now venturing into the political terrain at home to make their impact felt. One of the Diaspora Nigerians contesting at the country’s …

A newly launched advocacy organisation Part Worn Africa is calling for governments and regulatory bodies across the African continent to develop and enforce stronger regulations governing the sale of part-worn and second-hand tyres. Part Worn Africa will advocate that part-worn and second tyres be universally and stringently regulated according to rigorous standards and specifications in the same vein as those …

Ethiopia’s House of Peoples’ Representatives and the House of Federation, in a joint session held on Thursday (October 25) elected Ambassador Sahlework Zewde as the 4th President of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. She is the first woman to occupy what is largely a ceremonial office. Zewde’s election followed the resignation of the outgoing President, Mulatu Teshome. In her first …

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s oldest leader at 85, has easily won a seventh term, according to the Constitutional Council. Biya won 71.3 percent of the October 7 election, far ahead of opposition candidate Maurice Kamto’s 14.2 percent, council president Clement Atangana said, announcing the official results in a state television broadcast on Monday. The council, which …

The puzzle over the whereabouts of Nnamdi Kanu, who has not been since 14 September 2017 when soldiers invaded his home in south-eastern city of Aba, was solved in an unexpected manner last week. Videos suddenly emerged on social media on Thursday, showing the founder of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group agitating for a separate country for …

The Tunisian parliament approved on Tuesday (16 October) the country’s first law on the elimination of all forms of racism in a provision that organisations advocating minorities’ rights considered as “historical.” Tunisians of sub-Saharan origin have long complained that racism and discrimination are everyday occurrences for them. Unofficial estimates say 15 percent of the 11.5 million population identify as Black. …

With the emergence of the presidential candidates of the political parties participating at the next general election in Nigeria, all is now set for the poll which analysts say will be tough. While it’s generally assumed that the ruling All Progressives Party, APC, would field President Muhammadu Buhari again at the February 2019 polls, the battle for the ticket of …