AFRICA

President Akufo-Addo declares Ghana open for business as he promises to govern with integrity

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was sworn in on Saturday as Ghana’s new president at a ceremony in Accra, the country’s capital, marking the latest peaceful transition of power in the West African country. In a speech as he took office, the president said “I pledge to do my best to move this country to higher level of development; I will …

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Gambia: Jammeh blasts ECOWAS, says deployment of troops is ‘an act of war’

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has warned that any troop deployment by ECOWAS members would constitute “a declaration of war”. In a New Year’s message broadcast on Saturday, Jammeh said the “blatant and one-sided” approach of the regional body, “disqualified it from providing mediation services”. “Let me make very clear, we are ready to defend this country against any aggression,” Jammeh …

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Congolese President Kabila to step down under new deal with opposition

Agreement reached by Congolese political parties aims to have transitional government in place by March. President Joseph Kabila will step down as president of the Democratic Republic of Congo after elections held before the end of 2017, under a draft agreement reached by political parties, according to a lead mediator from the Catholic Church. Under the deal, reached on New …

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Gambian election crisis: Jammeh appoints six foreign judges to Supreme Court to hear his petition as President-elect Barrow prepares for inauguration

Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh has appointed six foreign judges into the Supreme Court to join the remaining member, Chief Justice Emmanuel Fagbenle, a Nigerian national, so that his election petition could be heard. Although the names of the judges have not been officially revealed, they are believed to come from Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The President has also ordered the …

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Nigeria Army ousts Boko Haram from its last major camp; two major roads in Borno re-opened

The Nigerian Army has driven Boko Haram militants from their last camp in the northeastern Sambisa forest, President Muhammadu Buhari has said in a statement. The military has launched a large-scale offensive against the jihadist group in recent weeks. Buhari said in a statement that the head of the army informed him on Friday, 23 December that the last major Boko Haram …

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Gambia: ECOWAS threatens Jammeh with military action; Senegalese troops ‘on alert’

President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia stands the risk of being forcefully removed from power should he carry out his threat to sit tight after losing the December 1 election. ECOWAS leaders warned yesterday that they would not hesitate to send troops to Banjul, if Jammeh, who lost the election to opposition candidate, Adama Barrow, fails to step down next month. Senegal,which …

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Congo’s opposition agrees to deal for Kabila to step down

Congolese politicians have agreed in principle to a deal under which President Joseph Kabila willl leave office by the end of 2017, opposition leaders said on Friday, 23 December, an unexpected breakthrough after dozens were killed in anti-government protests this week. If the deal does succeed, it would be a major achievement for the Catholic church, which has been mediating …

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Nigeria to reward those who expose thieves of government funds with 5 per cent of the recovered loot

The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the payment of 5 per cent of recovered looted fund to the whistle blower behind the recovery. Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun briefed State House correspondents at the end of the cabinet meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, 21 December. According to her, the programme is designed to encourage anyone with …

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Mugabe to stand for election again in 2018

Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party has declared President Robert Mugabe as its candidate for the next presidential election in 2018. By then he will be aged 94. His supporters broke into thunderous applause and chanted “tongai, tongai baba” [rule, rule father] as the Zanu-PF annual conference nominated Mugabe on Saturday in the south-eastern town of Masvingo . Mugabe has been in …

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Gambia: Jammeh must step down, say West African leaders

West African leaders under the auspices of the regional ECOWAS have jointly called on Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh to step when his term of office expires in January. Meeting in Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Saturday, the eleven presidents present at the body’s 50th ordinary session called on Jammeh to accept the results and refrain from compromising a peaceful handover of …

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Gambia: West African leaders fail to convince President Jammeh to hand over power

A high-powered diplomatic move to resolve the gathering crisis in The Gambia seems to have suffered a setback. A delegation of West African leaders failed to convince Gambian President Yahya Jammeh on Tuesday to hand over power to opposition leader, Adama Barrow, who defeated him at the presidential election held on 1 December. The leaders – Presidents Muhammadu Buhari of …

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What you should know about Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President-elect of Ghana

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was born and raised in Ga-Maami (Accra Central) and in the Nima area of Accra. His father’s residence, Betty House at Korle Wokon in Accra, was effectively the headquarters of the country’s first political party, the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), after it was formed at Saltpond on 4 August 1947. Three of the ‘Big Six’ …

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Opposition candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, wins Ghana’s presidential election

Ghanaians have elected Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the candidate of the main opposition party, New Patriotic Party (NPP), as their new president. Akufo-Addo, 72, who ran for the office for the third time, comfortably edged out incumbent president, John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) by almost 10 points. The Electoral Commission of Ghana (ECG) tweeted late on Friday, …

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Swazi opposition politician on what Africa can learn from Gambia’s election

After 22 years of authoritarian rule, Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh conceded defeat at the country’s elections on 1 December. We can learn from The Gambia that we are stronger united than divided, says Swazi activist Bheki Dlamini. Swaziland and The Gambia are two of Africa’s smallest nations, both less than 20,000 square km and with populations below 2 million. Both …

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Gambia: Army chief pledges allegiance to President-elect

Gambia’s army chief has pledged allegiance to President-elect Adama Barrow, Barrow’s spokeswoman has said, reinforcing hopes that the tiny West African nation will see its first peaceful change of power in more than half a century. A self-made real estate developer who once worked as a security guard at retailer Argos in London, Barrow beat incumbent Yahya Jammeh in last …

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Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh pledges to hand over power by January and vows to remain in the country

Gambia’s Information Minister Sheriff Bojang has denied speculations that defeated President Yahya Jammeh may renege on his promise to hand over to his successor. The minister has assured his countrymen and women and the international community that Jammeh, who has ruled Gambia for 22 years with iron hand, will hand over to President-elect Adama Barrow latest by the end of …

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Fake US Embassy in Ghana discovered after issuing counterfeit visas for more than 10 years

A fake US Embassy operated by organized crime gangs has been shut down in Ghana’s capital city Accra after a decade of operations, issuing counterfeit US visas. The US Department of State revealed in a statement that the sham embassy was run by Ghanaian and Turkish criminals as well as a Ghanaian lawyer, specializing  in immigration and criminal law. The …

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Gambian leader Yahyah Jammeh in election loss shock after 22-year rule

Gambian leader Yahyah Jammeh, who vowed to rule the tiny West African nation for “a billion years”, was handed a shock election defeat on Friday 22 years after seizing power in a coup. The electoral commission head declared Adama Barrow president-elect on state television, with 45.5 percent of the vote against Jammeh’s 36.7 percent. “Having received 263, 515 votes out …

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President Yahya Jammeh vows to deal ruthlessly with opponents as Gambians vote

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has warned that anyone involved in violence or unrest during the country’s presidential election on 1 December would be dealt with harshly. “There will be zero tolerance of violence and anyone disregarding public order will face the full force of the law,” Jammeh told supporters at a rally broadcast on Gambian TV on Sunday. “I am …

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Apprehensions as Ghanaians go to the polls

Ghanaians will go to the polls on 7 December to elect a president and 275 members of parliament. The Electoral Commission (EC) has released a final voter’s register of 15,703,890 eligible persons to participate in the country’s general election, which will be contested by seven political parties. However, the two most popular parties are the ruling National Democratic Congress or …

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