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 …