Reuters Guinea has reported six outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, on farms in the western part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Tuesday. The outbreaks were the first ones reported in Guinea and were mostly found at laying hen farms, the Paris-based body…
By Alexander Winning South Africa’s economy grew more than expected in the first quarter, recovering to the level it was before the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to a strong performance by sectors like manufacturing, data from the statistics agency showed. The growth trajectory will offer some comfort to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has been under…
By George Obulutsa Kenya’s economy is forecast to grow 5.5% this year from 7.5% in 2021, with the slowdown linked to the knock-on effects of the war in Ukraine, the World Bank said on Tuesday. The bank forecast in an economic update on Kenya that gross domestic product (GDP) growth would average 5.2% in 2023-24. East…
Reuters The South African rand was stronger early on Monday at the start of a busy policy-focused week in which a European Central Bank meeting and U.S. consumer price data are scheduled. At 0701 GMT, the rand traded at 15.4750 against the dollar, around 0.4% stronger than its previous close. “The ZAR appears to have…
By David Ochieng Mbewa Tunisian tennis trailblazer Ons Jabeur continued her steady rise up the WTA rankings breaking into the top five for the first time. Jabeur is currently ranked fourth in the world, according to the latest rankings released on Monday, despite her shock exit in the first round of the recently-concluded French Open. Jabeur,…
By Bryan Toussaint Ethiopia’s central bank on Monday told Ethiopians not to engage in “illegal” transactions in digital currencies. The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) said digital currencies like crypto-currencies and bitcoins haven’t been recognized by the NBE as a transactional and payment method, state affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) reported. “Ethiopia’s national currency is the…
By David Ochieng Mbewa Close to 800 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported in more than two dozen countries in regions that are not endemic for monkeypox virus. “Since 13 May 2022, and as of 2 June 2022, 780 laboratory confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported to or identified by WHO from 27 Member…
Reuters The European Investment Bank (EIB) committed 75 million euros ($80 million) on Thursday to finance construction of a new facility in Senegal that will produce COVID-19 and other vaccines for use across Africa. The plant, run by the Dakar-based Institut Pasteur, is intended to help Africa reduce its dependence on vaccine imports, which currently…
By David Ochieng Mbewa Sadio Mane scored a hat-trick as Senegal began their qualifying campaign for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-1 win at home to 10-man Benin in their Group L match at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio on Saturday. The reigning AFCON champions raced into a two-goal lead midway…
By Halligan Agade The United Nations says 34 out of 54 countries in Africa have already put in place legislation against single-use plastic bags. However, it says implementation of the laws remains weak in many of them. In Ethiopia, where different types of plastic bags are still in use, a group of deaf women is striving…
