Page 2 - Africans

Senegal election: Oppn leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye named next president

Senegal's little-known, 44-year-old opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye was named the country's next president on Monday, less than two weeks after being released from prison to run in the election. While official results of Sunday's vote were not yet available, the former prime minister who was the other frontrunner, and who was backed by incumbent President Macky Sall, conceded defeat based on preliminary results. Sall followed with congratulations, also naming Faye as the winner. Faye's victory reflected frustration among youth with high unemployment and concerns about governance in the West African nation. In his first speech delivered as president-elect late Monday, the former tax inspector promised to a fresh chapter following the months of violence and many political arrests that led up to the election. "I pledge to govern with humility and transparency, and to fight corruption at all levels. I pledge to devote myself fully to rebuilding our institutions," he said, ...

US to build 5 new military bases for Somali army to counter extremist group

The US will build up to five military bases for the Somali army in a project that seeks to bolster the Somalian national army's capabilities amid ongoing threats from an extremist group. Somalia's defense minister and the US charge d'affaires signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday in Mogadishu, the Somali capital. The agreement comes at a time when the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as ATMIS, is scaling back its presence in Somalia. The new bases will be associated with the Somali military's Danab Brigade, established in 2017 following an agreement between the US and Somalia to recruit, train, equip and mentor 3,000 men and women from across Somalia to build a strong infantry capability within the Somali army. The brigade has been pivotal as a quick-reaction force in efforts to repel the extremist group al-Shabab. The UN Security Council has authorised the reduction of the peacekeeping force in Somalia, and the Somali government says it is achieving ..

India made G20 far more inclusive by making AU permanent member: Kant

India has made G20 far more inclusive by ensuring the induction of the African Union as a permanent member of the grouping under its presidency, New Delhi's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said on Tuesday, days ahead of the second edition of the virtual Voice of Global South summit. In an address at a conference, Kant also described the G20 New Delhi leaders' declaration as a very hard-fought victory for the Global South as it reflected the aspirations of the developing countries. The conference themed "G20 Delhi Summit: Inclusive Growth and Rise of the Global South" was organised by India Writes Network, Centre for Global Insights India and School of International Relations, Jawaharlal Nehru University. "One of the lasting images that will carry on forever in my mind of India's G20 presidency is the image of the prime minister hugging the president of Comoros and welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20," Kant said. "With that one stroke, India ensured that the G20 bec

IIT Madras Zanzibar to be inaugurated today: All about this Africa Campus

IITM Zanzibar campus is the first global campus by IIT Madras or any of the IITs in India to open in Africa. It was earlier confirmed by the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

African swine flu reported in Kerala hamlet; pigs ordered to be culled

An outbreak of African swine flu has been reported in Kanichar village in this north Kerala district, following which the district Collector ordered culling of pigs in two farms there. The district animal husbandry official confirmed the flu at a private farm located at Malayampadi on Friday. Subsequently, the district authorities ordered culling of the pigs there and in another nearby farm located in a 10km radius, and bury the carcasses as per protocols. An area of one km around the pig farm, where the infection had been detected, was declared as an infected area and a radius of 10km as a disease surveillance zone, official sources said. Distribution and sale of pork in the area and its transportation to other places have been banned for three months, they said. The Collector, the chairman of the district disaster management authority, also asked the local authorities to submit an urgent report to confirm whether the pigs from the affected farm were transported to other farms in

Eye hospital chain Dr. Agarwal's raises $80 million from TPG, Temasek

The top shareholder of publicly listed Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospitals plans to operate 300 hospitals by the end of 2025. It currently has over 150 hospitals, including in African countries like Nigeria

Niger adds to growing list of countries in the Sahel run by the military

Mutinous soldiers in Niger this week overthrew the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum, adding to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa's Sahel region and raising fears of regional destabilization. The Sahel, the vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert, faces growing violence from Islamic extremists, which in turn has caused people to turn against elected governments. The military takeovers have followed a similar pattern: The coup leaders accuse the government of failing to meet the people's expectations for delivering dividends of democracy. They say they will usher in a new democratic government to address those shortcomings, but the process gets delayed. Karim Manuel, west and central Africa analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, says the military governments threaten to unwind democratic gains made not just in the Sahel region but in the broader West Africa region. This increases political instability going forward and makes the

African leaders visit Russia to discuss peace plan, after Ukraine trip

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday is set to host a group of African leaders who travelled to Russia on a self-styled peace mission after their trip to Ukraine. Seven African leaders presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, as well as Egypt's prime minister and top envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda visited Ukraine on Friday to try to help end their nearly 16-month-old war. The African leaders travelled to St. Petersburg on Saturday to meet with Putin who attended a business forum in Russia's second-largest city. The mission to Ukraine, the first of its kind by African leaders, comes in the wake of other peace initiatives such as one by China and carried particular importance for Africa that relies on food and fertiliser deliveries from Russia and Ukraine. The war has impeded exports from one of the world's most important breadbaskets. This conflict is affecting Africa negatively, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a news confer

EXIM Bank plans to step up funding to Indian firms eyeing African markets

Amid rising competition from China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stepped up efforts to strengthen ties with African nations via aid for infrastructure projects

India to work with African nations to promote regional security: Rajnath

India will continue to work with African nations to promote regional security, foster stability, and enhance the defence capabilities together, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Tuesday. He also said India is steadfast in its commitment to provide support to African partner countries in all defence-related matters, including capability enhancement of their armed forces, to ensure their economic growth and social development. Singh was speaking at the first edition of the India-Africa Army Chiefs Conclave organised on the sidelines of the 2nd Africa-India Joint Exercise 'AFINDEX'. "As maritime neighbours linked by the Indian Ocean, our cooperation in maritime security and hydrography and countering terrorism and extremism will be essential for regional peace and prosperity," he said. He emphasised that the full potential of a nation's progress can be realised only when its security is ensured. The conclave was attended by Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande and ch

COP27: African nations push for funding to adapt to climate change

Battling droughts, sandstorms, floods, wildfires, coastal erosion, cyclones and other weather events exacerbated by climate change, the African continent needs to adapt, but it needs funds to do so, leaders and negotiators from the continent said at the UN climate summit. It's one of the main priorities for the African Group of Negotiators at the summit, known as COP27, currently underway in Egypt. Ephraim Shitima, the group's chair, said Africa is keen to see the outcomes of the negotiations translated into action for the continent where millions are facing climate-related disasters. Shitima said the summit should provide solutions to the millions of people in the continent, adding that Africa needs finance to adapt to extreme weather as well as to facilitate just energy transition and boost renewable energy uptake. A recent study released by the World Bank said that climate-related events will squeeze more than 132 million people into poverty worldwide with African countries losin

Foreign national tests positive for monkeypox in Delhi, 8th case in country

This is the third monkeypox case in the national capital

Sudan detects first case of monkeypox in West Darfur, say authorities

Sudan says it has detected the country's first case of the monkeypox virus in the conflict-wrecked Darfur region. The Health Ministry said late on Sunday that the 16-year-old student's case was discovered last week in West Darfur province. It did not give further details about the patient. The ministry said there were at least 38 suspected cases of monkeypox and all tested negative to the virus but one in West Darfur. It said health authorities were working to determine the student's contacts to limit the spread of the virus. An outbreak of monkeypox could be devastating for Sudan, which suffered from decades of conflict in Darfur and other parts of the country, and international isolation. The East African nation is in turmoil since a military coup last year derailed its short-lived transition to democracy. The virus originates in primates and other wild animals and causes fever, body aches, chills and fatigue in most patients. People with severe cases can develop a rash and lesi

Covid-19 pushed 55 mn Africans into extreme poverty in 2020: UN Report

Poor people with few assets, limited access to credit, informal employment and low wages were particularly severely hit by containment measures introduced during the pandemic

Bharti Airtel's African arm completes $176 mn tower sale deal in Tanzania

Airtel Africa's tower assets in Tanzania have been acquired by a joint venture company owned by SBA Communications Corporation and Paradigm Infrastructure Ltd

400 years later: Barbados bids adieu to UK Queen to become a republic

Several leaders and dignitaries, including Prince Charles, attended the ceremony

United Nations hopes meeting will raise $1 billion for key Sahel nations

The UN humanitarian chief is hoping a major ministerial meeting will not only raise $1 billion but also spur leaders to address the underlying causes

Africa's working-age population likely to top Asian labour force by 2100

The number of 15-to-64-year-old Africans today is a quarter of the size of Asia's working-age population

Attacks on Africans: Sushma Swaraj asks Home Ministry to ensure safety

Swaraj said a sensitisation campaign will be carried out in the areas where African nationals reside

Two arrested, three detained involving assault of Africans

Number of African nationals in South Delhi's Mehrauli area were attacked