Alarmed by a rapid spread of Lassa fever, the Nigerian Academy of Science is calling on government to declare a national health emergency. Dr Doyin Odubanjo, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Academy of Science, explains the background to the current outbreak of the disease and what needs to be done to contain it. ———- How serious is the current Lassa fever outbreak …

Afrolynk is a Berlin-based company that promotes increased African-European business relationship with a focus on technology as the chief driver of integration. The social enterprise, which is present in 8 African countries – Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, supports young entrepreneurs with free online courses for the development of their skills. The company, which organises …

The power-sharing deal signed in 2018 between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar has already been extended twice – in May 2019 and November 2019 – delaying the formal end to a war that has killed nearly 400,000 people, displaced millions, and pushed tens of thousands to the brink of starvation. The new deadline is 22 February. Unresolved …

Agitation for Nigerians living outside their homeland to be allowed to participate at the country’s elections has suffered a setback. Nigerian legislators on Friday (14 February) dismissed the agitation because the country is not ready for diaspora voting. The Senate, during a debate on the issue, said certain conditions had to be met before Nigeria could allow its citizens living …

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s recent visit to Angola and South Africa seeks to boost trade and political relations with the continent in continuation of the government’s policy to increase German engagement in Africa. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, accompanied by top government officials and senior business executives, paid a state visit to South Africa and Angola from 5 – 8 February. Her …

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Ghana and Zambia have licensed an Ebola vaccine, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Registration of the vaccine is expected in additional countries in the coming weeks. The licensing of the vaccine means that the manufacturer can stockpile and widely distribute this vaccine to African countries at risk of Ebola virus …

The death toll from the epidemic virus, which WHO has named COVID-19, has neared 1,400 cases, almost exclusively in China where it was first identified.

Sudan has promised to hand over ex-President Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague to face genocide and war crimes charges, BBC has reported. The new transitional government was reported to have agreed to hand over all actors in the war wanted by the ICC during peace talks with Darfur groups. “Justice cannot be achieved if …

Google has announced the continuation and expansion of its Google News Initiative Fellowship in Europe. The scheme connects students and recent graduates who want to explore the intersection between journalism and technology with news organisations. The successful candidates will kick off their careers in the news industry by spending 8 weeks in Summer working with experts in newsrooms and creating …

Tuesday, 11 February 2020 marked the 30th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison after 27 years of incarceration by the then South African apartheid regime. Liberian peace activist Leymah Roberta Gbowee delivered a lecture at an event organised by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to commemorate the historic day in Cape Town’s City Hall. Ms Gbowee, who was awarded the …

Airlines across Africa recorded a five per cent demand increase in 2019, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has said. According to IATA, the airlines recorded a capacity increase of 4.5 per cent while load factor went up by 0.3 percentage point to 71.3 per cent. The association stated in its full-year global passenger traffic results for 2019 that Africa …

30th Anniversary Of Nelson Mandela’s Release From Prison To Be Marked With The Launch Of Mandela Freedom Project JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, February 11th, 2020,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The House of Mandela is set to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison by launching the Mandela Freedom Project. The Freedom Project is a unifying global initiative to advance …

The 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union ended in Addis Ababa on Monday with the organisation expressing its commitment to tackling the continent’s challenges. The Summit, which took place from 9-10 February under the theme “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development”, agreed to undertake actions, including mediation …

Canada has announced an express visa scheme for students from Nigeria seeking to study at the country’s universities and colleges, PIE News has reported. The Nigeria Student Express initiative is aimed at expediting the processing time for study visa applications in Nigeria. The scheme, a specialised financial verification system (MyBank) used to ensure students have sufficient funds to study in …

The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) is accepting proposals to support initiatives in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Possible target areas include journalism, justice reform and the rule of law, the democratic practice and more. Proposals must promote investigative journalism and free, quality and independent media. The amount of funding …

Heads of State and Government who gathered at the 2020 African Union Summit have made the provision of more opportunities to women a centre-piece of their collective efforts to drive the continent’s economic growth and development. The Summit, taking place from 8-10 February in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, witnessed the launch of African Women Leadership Fund that will …

Foreigners who are in Germany to look for work or study are excluded from Hartz IV social-security benefits, the Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) has ruled in two cases. In the two verdicts published on Thursday (6 February), the Bundesverfassungsgericht, Germany’s highest court on constitutional matters, dismissed the ruling of the lower Social Court (Sozialgericht), which considers the legal exclusion of …

African leaders converge in Addis Ababa for the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government Summit of the African Union on 9-10 February. Amongst many issues on the agenda, the 2020 Assembly under the theme “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development”, will take stock of the challenges to peace, stability and sustainable development on …

In this short story, Berlin-based legal scholar and creative author Nelly Sarpong writes on a fictional encounter with a racist at a train station, revealing how difficult it is to react in a situation where the dignity of a Black person is under assault. ——— It was 5: 45 pm, I was packing up and getting ready to leave when …

As African leaders converge at the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government Summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 9-10 February, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Finance Minister of Nigeria and Co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, explains in this opinion piece why an African leadership role on climate action is …