Floating Power Plants May be the Energy Mix Africa Needs
One of the world’s largest operators of floating power plants is in talks to bring power to two West African countries, as onshore plans to expand access to electricity have been hit by coronavirus-related restrictions. Karpowership, the unit of Turkey’s Karadeniz Energy, which already supplies eight African countries, is using the high reliability of its […]
Zimbabwe Squeezes Mining Companies
Mining companies in Zimbabwe said a central bank requirement compelling them to surrender more foreign exchange earned from mineral exports will push their operations to the brink. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe announced on January 8 that exporters must hand over 40% of their foreign currency earnings, up from 30%, which is then paid out […]
Museveni May have Won this Round but Sentiment is Changing
It’s difficult for anyone to know exactly how much support Wine and his National Unity Platform command across the country. But what’s clear is that Museveni has been rejected in the capital. Wine’s party won nine of the 10 parliamentary seats in Kampala, with the 10th being retained by its incumbent, an independent MP. Museveni’s […]
Cairo Artefacts Finally Home
Egypt has retrieved some 5,000 ancient items from the United States, after years of negotiations to return what it said were fraudulently acquired items. In a statement, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities confirmed the “arrival at Cairo airport of a large number of ancient Egyptian items which had been in the possession of the […]
DRC’s Prime Minister Booted Out of Parliament
Legislators in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have voted to remove Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, collapsing the government and handing President Felix Tshisekedi a chance to appoint loyalists to key ministries. Wednesday’s vote marks the latest episode in a power struggle that has roiled sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest nation for months, pitching Tshisekedi […]
UK Mining Firm Called Out for Poisoning Chadians
The UK government has accepted a human rights complaint against mining and commodities giant Glencore regarding a toxic wastewater spill in Chad, where dozens of villagers – among them children – claim they suffered severe burns, skin lesions and sickness after contact with contaminated water. The complaint, brought by three human rights groups on behalf […]
Helping Deaf Kenyan Pupils with Remote Learning
The Kenya Sign Language Finger Spelling application was developed during the pandemic by Hudson Asiema, who was born deaf, to help Kenya’s 4,000 deaf schoolchildren with remote learning. “We don’t have a lot of these apps that are centered for children accessible offline,” he said through a sign language translator. “When you compare the same with the hearing kids now, […]
The Mysterious Death of a Brief of Pelicans Shocks Conservationists
Some 750 pelicans have been found dead in a UNESCO World Heritage site in northern Senegal that provides refuge for millions of migratory birds, the country’s parks director said. Rangers found the pelicans on January 23 in the Djoudj bird sanctuary, a remote pocket of wetland near the border with Mauritania and a resting place […]
WHO says 20 Percent of Africans to be Vaccinated by End of the Year
The African Union (AU) has secured an additional 400 million doses of coronavirus vaccines for the continent. Together with doses the AU has already reserved and those to be made available via the World Health Organization-backed Covax scheme, this brings the total for Africa to 1.27 billion. Africa needs about 1.5 billion doses to immunise […]
Ashish Thakkar: #FormerRefugee #SerialEntrepreneur #Mentor #Farmer
Ashish Thakkar is that guy. Young, smart, good-looking and down-to-earth. He’s being called “Africa’s Youngest Billionaire,” but there are no airs and graces when he sits down to talk to Africa.com after his panel discussion on Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Africa at Columbia University’s Africa Economic Forum. Ashish’s story is an inspiring, made-for-movie one. Though he was born in the United […]
