Classic Layout

Gambia: President Jammeh appoints mediator amid political deadlock, as the Buhari-led ECOWAS delegation postpones trip to Banjul

Gambia’s embattled President Yayah Jammeh today, 11 January appointed a mediator to facilitate meetings between himself and president-elect Adama Barrow. The ruling party’s secretary general will mediate between Jammeh’s supporters and the opposition to “resolve any mistrust and issues,” Jammeh said in a televised address to the nation early today. He refuses to accept the election result because it was …

Read More »

The stories behind the places bearing African names in Germany

Did you know that ‘Africa’ is a tiny hamlet in Brandenburg? Or that there are 11 ‘Cameroons’  in Germany? Places bearing African names in Germany have a varied history, writes Gwendolin Hilse. Africa is a continent? Of course. In German, it’s spelt “Afrika” and that is also the name of a hamlet in the Uckermark district of the state of Brandenburg in eastern …

Read More »

Study reveals deep concerns for peace in Liberia ahead of elections

“Liberians are telling the world that the causes of the long civil wars are still there and they have genuine fears of their country returning to violence,” said Jennifer Overton, Regional Director for CRS in West Africa. “We now have some very specific key indicators for potential risks of conflict. But we have to address them now.”

Read More »

BREAKING! Gambia’s Supreme Court fails to form quorum, postpones hearing in Jammeh’s petition challenging election result

No show at the Gambia’s Supreme Court today as expected. The much-awaited sitting of the court over the petition filed by President Yahya Jammeh, challenging the results of the 1 December presidential election which he lost to opposition coalition candidate Adama Barrow, has been suspended. Gambia’s apex court could not form a quorum as only one judge was present. A …

Read More »

FIFA expands World Cup to 48 teams; Africa to get more slots, Jose Mourinho supports, Germany against

The FIFA Council has unanimously decided in favour of increasing the number of teams playing at the World Cup from 32 to 48 with effect from the 2026 edition of the global sporting event. The world football’s supervisory and strategic body held its third meeting at the headquarters of FIFA in Zurich on 9 and 10 January, and decided on …

Read More »

Nigeria’s President Buhari to lead delegation to Gambia in last-ditch attempt to resolve political impasse

President Muhammadu Buhari will lead a delegation of ‎the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)‎, to The Gambia on Wednesday, 11 January. The trip is seen as a last-ditch attempt to resolve the political impasse in the country. The decision to undertake the trip was taken on Monday, 9 January in Nigeria’s capital city Abuja, following an extra-ordinary meeting …

Read More »

Gambia: ECOWAS softens on Jammeh, says it still prefers peaceful mediation to military intervention

West African leaders are not ready yet to send troops as they negotiate with President Jammeh to relinquish power, Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has announced. The crisis in The Gambia is becoming more complex as the 19 January handover date approaches. In a surprise development, Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told reporters on Saturday in Accra that ECOWAS leaders …

Read More »

Africa fashion designers change marketing strategies in the face of economic crisis

Designers in Africa have seen their business suffer as a result of the economic crisis which has hit the continent. Many in different countries want to make fashion count as a burgeoning investment market and are looking at agencies to help them achieve their goal, as in Angola. “It’s time for those in the government to try and revive the …

Read More »

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 …

Read More »