The pan-African magazine of choice since 2009
Diamonds may be forever, but the question of who has the rights to the sparkly stones is anything but set in stone. This was made clear when the government of Botswana won a new “agreement in principle” with De Beers, the inter- national diamond conglomerate, after a round of tough negotiations. Under the new agreement, …
British police said they had charged former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke with bribery offenses, saying they suspected she had accepted bribes in return for awarding large oil and gas contracts. Alison-Madueke, 63, was a key figure in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, serving as petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015. She also …
Ex-Nigerian oil minister faces bribery charges in U.K. Read More »
Russian President Vladimir Putin courted leaders from Africa at a summit in St. Petersburg in late July, hailing the continent’s growing role in global affairs and offering to expand political and business ties. Addressing the Russia-Africa summit, Putin said Moscow would closely analyze a peace proposal for Ukraine that African leaders have sought to pursue. …
Russian President Vladimir Putin woos African leaders Read More »
African countries want China to shift its focus from building infrastructure on the continent to local industrialization, China’s top Africa diplomat said at a briefing on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa in late August. “African integration is already escalating and many African countries [have] asked China to consider [a] shift [of] …
Seven opposition parties in South Africa reached an agreement in August to form a coalition to unseat the ruling African National Congress (ANC) if it fails to gain an outright majority in next year’s general election. The parties, which include the country’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, and a string of small parties, agreed …
Uganda’s president has slammed the World Bank, calling the global lender “insufferable” for holding up new loans after the East African country enacted an anti-gay bill that includes the death penalty in some cases. President Yoweri Museveni said in a statement that he was struggling to restrain himself “from exploding with anger.” The World Bank …
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni slams World Bank Read More »
The former president of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, knew well the threat of military coups in his part of the world. But he swore one wouldn’t happen to him. “While our continent has been shaken in recent weeks by violent crises, rest assured that I will never allow you and our country Gabon to be …
Assailants armed with machine guns and AK-47s attacked Guinea-Bissau’s government palace for hours on February 1 while the president and prime minister were inside, but the coup attempt ultimately failed, the president announced. The foiled attack came only about two weeks after a military junta overthrew the democratically elected leader of Burkina Faso, underscoring fears …
Guinea-Bissau president says ‘attack on democracy’ thwarted Read More »
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has urged UN Security Council reforms that would give Africa permanent representation there, saying such changes would prevent “aggression against Africa.” Museveni spoke at a meeting Jan. 20 attended by high-ranking officials representing 10 of the African Union’s 55 members. The meeting is the latest in a series focusing on changes at the …
Museveni calls for more Africans on UN Security Council Read More »
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has opened a new vaccine manufacturing facility that he says will boost the country’s capacity to make its own inoculations for COVID-19 and other diseases. The NantSA plant in Cape Town – a partnership among the U.S.-based biotechnology firm NantWorks, the government, and South African universities – will help improve Africa’s ability to produce vaccines, Ramaphosa said Jan. 19. “The pandemic has …