AFRICA

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a US$31.6 million grant from the Government of China for the construction of a new headquarters for the regional body in Abuja. The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Brou, and the Ambassador of China to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Zhou Pingjian, signed for both …

Sierra Leone’s elections body, the National Electoral Commission (NEC), on Sunday released provisional official results in respect to the presidential polls of 7 March 2018. Julius Maada Bio, the candidate of the main opposition SLPP, is leading the election with the majority of the official results released followed closely by the ruling APC candidate, Samura Kamara. With 75% of official …

Sixteen candidates are campaigning to become Sierra Leone’s next president. It’s the first time more than two candidates have real chances of winning and a chance for a more diversified parliament. Sierra Leone heads to the polls on Wednesday March 7 as the second of President Ernest Bai Koroma’s constitutionally mandated two terms comes to an end. The ruling All …

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan begins a five-day official visit to four African countries on Monday, 26 February. According to a statement released by the president’s office, Erdogan will hold talks with his counterparts in Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal and Mali in one-on-one and inter-delegation meetings. The leaders are expected to discuss regional and global developments, bilateral relations and cooperation. Business …

President Muhammadu Buhari has described the abduction of some students from the Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, in Yobe State as a national disaster. The President, however, gave the assurance that no effort would be spared by the Federal Government to rescue the girls and bring succour to their families. He gave the assurance in a statement issued on Friday …

Pope Francis has declared a day of fasting and prayer for crisis-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Both countries have been dogged by security and humanitarian crisis over the past few years. The Holy Father has thus called for spiritual intervention asking the faithful to fast and pray on February 23 for peace. The event is also aimed …

Fela Durotoye, a consulting guru, leadership coach and public speaker, says he will be running for president, come 2019. It’s a move that will excite the political terrain in Nigeria, clamouring for a new generation of leaders to transform Africa’s most populous country. The 46-year-old declared his intentions on Thursday in Lagos, adding that he had researched all the national …

Liberia’s new President George Weah on Tuesday pledged to fight endemic corruption as he spoke about conditions in his “broke country” on the first day of an official visit to Paris. The former international football star, who took office on January 22, is faced with a dire economic situation in Liberia following two civil wars and a deadly Ebola epidemic …

Ethiopia’s prime minister has announced he will resign, in what he says is an effort to advance reforms aimed at easing the country’s political unrest. Speaking on state television Thursday, Hailemariam Desalegn said he has submitted his letter of resignation as both prime minister and chairman of the ruling EPRDF coalition. Hailemariam said he is stepping down “to be part …

Cyril Ramaphosa, head of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), has been sworn is as South Africa’s president, fewer than 24 hours after the resignation of embattled ex-leader Jacob Zuma. “I will try very hard not to disappoint the people of South Africa,” Ramaphosa (65) said on Thursday as he ended his speech to parliament, shortly after the Parliament elected …

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has died aged 65 after a lengthy battle with cancer, party officials announced on Wednesday. The Vice President of his Movement for Democratic Change said the family has confirmed his death and that he passed away in hospital in South Africa, where he had been receiving treatment. “I can confirm that he died this evening. …

Ethiopian journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega has finally been released from a prison facility after seven years in jail. Nega was among the over 740 prisoners who were set for release by the federal government as part of political reforms announced in January 2018. His release comes barely a week after he reportedly refused to sign a ‘false confession form’ …

Jacob Zuma has resigned as president of South Africa with immediate effect, state television announced Wednesday night. Mr. Zuma, 75, has led South Africa since 2009. His resignation came a day after he was asked to resign by his party, the African National Congress (ANC), as a result of corruption allegations and his connection to the Gupta family in South …

South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma has criticised his party, the Africa National Congress (ANC) for recalling him without taking him through the party’s disciplinary processes.  “Why cut it now. I do have a problem, I joined the ANC when I was very young. I have been going to places knowing that I could be killed. It’s the first time that …

President Buhari should not run for another term in office, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo advised in a letter to Nigeria’s head of state in January 2018. In an interview, he told Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s international broadcaster, why he wrote the letter. Nigerian Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is known for his public letters to sitting presidents. In 2013 he wrote a …

The 2017 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership has been awarded to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation announced Monday. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who served two terms as President of Liberia from 2006 to 2017, is the fifth recipient of the Ibrahim Prize, which recognises and celebrates excellence in African leadership. The Ibrahim Prize …

The Commonwealth is a “model and catalyst for new forms of friendship and cooperation”: Gambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs The Gambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ousainou Darboe, convened a press briefing in Banjul, the capital, on Friday to mark his country’s return to the Commonwealth.  He described membership in the organisation as an important milestone in the history of The …

Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga has been sworn in as the ‘people’s president’. Odinga took the controversial oath at Uhuru Park Grounds in Nairobi on Tuesday at 2.45 pm in a ceremony skipped by his co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula. Kenyan authorities forced independent television and radio stations reporting on the gathering off air as supporters of …

The Federal Government of Nigeria has been sharply criticized for delivering Cameroonian separatist leaders into the hands of the government of President Paul Biya in a move seen as very unusual in international diplomacy. The Nigerian government on Friday deported 12 Cameroonian separatist leaders who were arrested earlier this month, their lawyer said Monday. Julius Ayuk Tabe and 11 others …

“Today we launch the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). We are nearly ready to launch the Continental Free Trade Area, and freedom of movement of persons is achievable in 2018,” President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has said. The Rwandan leader made the commitment on Sunday while delivering his acceptance speech as the new chairperson of the African Union at …