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A little over a year after an initial bronze statue was unveiled of Thomas Sankara, government unveiled another – of the same work. Criticisms had trailed the March 2019 statue which a number of people said did not do justice to the former Burkinabe leader – at least per his looks. The criticized sculptor, Jean Luc Bambara,…

Cameroon’s 87-year-old President Paul Biya has made a televised address to his people ending more than two months of silence as the central African nation dealt with a burgeoning coronavirus crisis. Biya’s long silence was for supporters a sign of gravitas but for critics one of failure. “Like most countries in the world Cameroon is…

May 19: Cases top 6,000; lockdown lifting risky Total confirmed cases = 6,175 (new cases = 216)Total recoveries = 1,644Total deaths = 191Active cases = 4,340 Figures valid as of close of day May 18, 2020 The federal government says Nigeria is not ready for total lifting of lockdown, hence the first level of easing…

Another island nation, Seychelles, has attained virus-free status after the Health Ministry announced full recoveries as of Monday May 18. The country becomes the third in recent times to achieve the feat behind Mauritius and Eritrea. The last cabinet meeting held on May 13 largely focused on COVID-19 containment efforts in the country as a resumption of life was…

As Merck Foundation CEO and as an African woman, I am excited to invite you to read our new inspiring storybook, “MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE “. I wanted this storybook to be part of our Africa Community awareness campaign about Coronavirus.  I strongly believe that this unsettling period due to the coronavirus scare is difficult for everyone, full…

Dozens have been killed in flooding in Somalia that has affected nearly 1 million people and displaced over 400 thousand from their homes, according to the United Nations. People struggled to wade through flood water in the central Somalian city of Beledweyne after the Shabelle river burst its banks on Sunday and 1,200 people have…

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and growing tensions in the country, Burundi will, on Wednesday, hold general elections. The small African country of the Great Lakes region and its 11 million inhabitants are trying to emerge from a deadly political crisis born of President Nkurunziza’s controversial candidacy for a third term in April 2015. Unlike Ethiopia, which…

Officials and experts are sounding the alarm as Malawi shifts to top campaign gear with giant rallies for an unprecedented presidential re-run despite the coronavirus pandemic. Malawi University of Science and Technology virologist Gama Bandawe warned that the consequences would be dire. “It effectively leaves us to face the full unmitigated force of the pandemic,”…