Africa

African GDP growth to edge up in 2023 despite South Africa slide -AfDB

By Rachel Savage JOHANNESBURG, May 24 (Reuters) - Africa's economic growth is set to edge upwards in 2023 and 2024 amid tighter global monetary policy and the fallout from Russia's…

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West Africa faces acute food shortages with thousands near famine, say UN agencies

DAKAR (Reuters) - Forty-eight million people in West and Central Africa face acute food insecurity in the coming months, a 10-year high spurred by insecurity, climate shocks, COVID-19 and high…

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Microsoft Africa internet plan moves forward with fiber deal

March 2 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp has reached a deal with Africa's biggest independent fiber network toward its goal of expanding internet access on the continent, its President Brad Smith…

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Botswana warns of dangers in dash for African minerals

(Reuters) - African governments must be wary of the risks created by rising global competition for the continent's minerals, Botswana's mines minister said, as world powers seek new sources of…

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Africa witnessing exponential rise in cholera cases

Africa is witnessing an exponential rise in cholera cases and is on course to have its worst year with the infectious disease for a decade. Ten African countries are facing…

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Hope for jobs drives recruitment by militant groups in Africa – report

Hope of employment more than religious belief is driving people to join fast-growing extremist groups in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a report by the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) based on…

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Shun ethnic rivalry and corruption, Pope tells African youth

KINSHASA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday urged young people in Democratic Republic of Congo to forge a new future without the ethnic rivalry, corruption and distrust that…

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Africa’s economic growth to stabilise, inflation seen easing – AfDB

Headwinds last year hampered post-pandemic recovery Growth to rebound to 4% in 2023, 2024 Inflation to decline from last year's decade-high Improvements remain fragile By Joe Bavier JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -…

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UPDATED: COP27 deal needs ‘tremendous amount of work’ – EU’s Timmermans

By Kate Abnett SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 17 (Reuters) - A tremendous amount of work is needed to turn a draft COP27 text into something all parties can agree on,…

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African banks increasingly worried about funding costs, survey shows

LONDON/JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) - Sub-Saharan African banks are increasingly worried about funding costs, an annual survey published this week found, as soaring interest rates both on the continent and globally make…

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Global inflation causing ‘horrifying’ food insecurity, says IMF Africa head

JOHANNESBURG/LONDON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Africa's central banks are walking a tightrope trying to curb inflation that is mostly out of their control and causing "horrifying" food insecurity, the International…

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Countries step up to try and avert famine in Horn of Africa

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Countries this week pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in additional aid for the Horn of Africa as they sounded the alarm on a drought in…

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Air traffic control strike disrupts flights across West Africa

DAKAR, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Dozens of flights were cancelled across West and Central Africa on Saturday as a strike by regional air traffic controllers entered a second day, leaving…

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UPDATED:Africa air traffic control strike grounds flights across region

DAKAR, (Reuters) - An air traffic control strike grounded flights in and out of West and Central Africa , causing chaos for passengers travelling to Europe, the United States and…

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Horn of Africa on track for 5th failed rainy season: WMO

GENEVA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The worst drought in the Horn of Africa in more than 40 years looks almost certain to persist after the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said…

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Rotavirus childhood vaccine shortage hits four African countries

LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Supplies of a vaccine to prevent the deadly rotavirus infection in children have either run out in Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal and Cameroon or are close…

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U.S. says Ukraine war making 40 million people go hungry, Africa to bear brunt

The United States' ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Friday said Russia's invasion of Ukraine will cause 40 million people to become food insecure and that sub-Saharan Africa…

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Biden announces U.S.-Africa summit for mid-December

WASHINGTON, July 20(Reuters) - President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that the United States will bring together leaders from across the African continent for a major summit in December in Washington to discuss pressing…

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Time is running out for Africa to profit from its gas, IEA says

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - Africa must act quickly to profit from its vast reserves of natural gas that the world will only want until it can shift towards lower carbon technology,…

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Pope postpones Africa trip due to knee problems

Trip to Congo, South Sudan put off 'until further notice' Pope Francis has decided to puts off a trip to Africa due to knee problems, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said…

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Africa’s COVID deaths to fall by 94% in 2022, WHO analysis shows

JOHANNESBURG, June 2 (Reuters) - Deaths on the African continent from COVID-19 are expected to fall by nearly 94 percent in 2022 compared to last year, the World Health Organization…

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Pope’s July visit to Africa to go ahead despite health issues

Pope Francis is set to make a gruelling trip to two African countries in July despite knee problems that have forced him to use a cane and wheelchair in recent…

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Pollution killing 9 million people a year, Africa hardest hit – study

Worsening outdoor air pollution and toxic lead poisoning have kept global deaths from environmental contamination at an estimated 9 million per year since 2015 – countering modest progress made in…

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Italy’s Draghi positive for Covid, will skip Africa energy trip

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has tested positive for COVID-19 and ministers will replace him on a trip to Africa this week for deals to cut his country's reliance on…

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EXPLAINER-Why African nations’ support for UN action on Russia/Ukraine is so mixed

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Western powers seeking to isolate Russia over Ukraine are disappointed at what they see as lukewarm support from African nations at the U.N. general assembly - where their 54…

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Ukraine crisis seen as threat to African airlines’ recovery

A drawn-out conflict between Russia and Ukraine could further drive up oil prices and end African airlines' recovery from the pandemic slump, the head of the industry's association said. Unless…

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Africa could be hit hard by loss of Ukrainian grain exports -IfW institute

HAMBURG, March 11 (Reuters) - African countries may be hit hard by any continuing halt to Ukraine’s grain exports caused by the war, a report from Germany’s Kiel Institute for the World…

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Six African countries to receive mRNA vaccine technology in WHO project

The World Health Organization said on Friday six African countries - Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia - would be the first on the continent to receive the…

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EU launches summit reset with Africa after pandemic pause

BRUSSELS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The EU will welcome more than 40 African leaders to Brussels on Thursday in an effort to reassert its influence on a continent where China…

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BioNTech pledges African access to its future cancer drugs

Feb 16 (Reuters) - Germany's BioNTech , which is preparing to produce its COVID-19 vaccine or other disease-preventing shots in Africa, said that novel cancer therapies it is working on will in future…

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Millions facing severe hunger in Horn of Africa – U.N. food agency

The U.N. World Food Programme said that 13 million people across the Horn of Africa face severe hunger, calling for immediate assistance to avoid a repeat of a famine a…

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Nestle to pay cocoa growers to keep children in school

ZURICH/LONDON (Reuters) - Nestle will start paying cocoa farmers cash if they send their children to school rather than out to tend crops as part of a push to purchase…

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VIDEO: Cup of Nations – At least six killed in Cameroon stadium stampede, says state broadcaster

At least six fans died in a stampede at the Yaounde Olembe Stadium in Cameroon on Monday before the host nation's round of 16 game in the African Cup of…

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African scientists say ‘mild omicron’ could end pandemic

African scientists are optimistic that the variant could mark the end of the pandemic and the beginning of an endemic. South African virologist Wolfgang Preiser told DW that the behavior…

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Africa CDC says severe lockdowns no longer tool to contain COVID-19

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Africa's top public health official said on Thursday that he was encouraged by the way that South Africa had handled its latest COVID-19 wave driven…

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Malaria deaths rise by 69,000 in 2020 due to COVID-19 disruptions, says WHO

Healthcare disruptions linked to the coronavirus pandemic helped malaria kill 69,000 more people in 2020 than the previous year, but a worst-case scenario was averted, the World Health Organization said on Monday.…

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‘Extreme’ vaccine discrimination risks leaving Africa behind – report

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Africa has little chance of overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic unless 70% of its population is vaccinated by end-2022, yet "extreme vaccine discrimination" is leaving the…

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India set to resume overseas flights, tightens screening for new COVID-19 variant

NEW DELHI, Nov 26 (Reuters) - India said on Friday it will resume international passenger flights from mid-December with COVID-19 linked curbs for "at risk" countries, and ordered tightened screening…

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UPDATED: EU executive wants travel suspension from countries with new COVID variant

BRUSSELS, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed on Friday that EU countries suspend travel links with countries in which the new variant of the coronavirus called B.1.1.529, has…

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UPDATED: Israeli PM warns of state of emergency due to new coronavirus variant

JERUSALEM, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met health experts on Friday to discuss how best to respond to a new variant of the coronavirus that has…

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UPDATED: Alarm for new COVID-19 variant spreading in South Africa, Vaccines may be less effective against it

Belgium is analysing two samples of COVID-19 to establish if they are the new coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa, a leading local virologist said on Friday. Marc Van…

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As COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to continent increase, logistics hampers inoculation drives-Africa CDC

NAIROBI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - As deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa finally pick up, many nations are struggling with the logistics of accelerating their inoculation campaigns, the head of…

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U.S. President Biden to hold meeting with leaders from Africa in 2022 -White House

U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a meeting with leaders from Africa in 2022 which would focus on building global partnerships and alliances, the White House said in a statement.…

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COVID-19 pandemic could lead to HIV surge in West & Central Africa, says UNAIDS chief

West and Central Africa could see a rise in HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths in a few years due to disruptions in health services because of the coronavirus pandemic, the…

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BioNTech eyes construction start for African mRNA vaccine factory in mid-2022

BioNTech on Tuesday signed an agreement with the Rwandan government and Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal on the construction of a first mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Africa starting…

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Moderna plans mRNA vaccine factory in Africa

Moderna plans to invest about $500 million to build a factory in Africa to make up to 500 million doses of mRNA vaccines each year, including its COVID-19 shot, as…

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WHO backs rollout of malaria vaccine for African children

NAIROBI/DAKAR, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday the only approved vaccine against malaria should be widely given to African children, potentially marking a major…

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Africa lags on COVID-19 vaccination, healthcare workers at risk – WHO, nurses say

Only 15 of Africa's 54 nations have fully vaccinated 10% of their populations against COVID-19 and many frontline health workers remain at risk, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International…

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WHO-backed vaccine hub for Africa to copy Moderna COVID-19 shot

Efforts to develop an African base for COVID-19 vaccine production will focus on trying to replicate Moderna's shot, but a lack of progress in talks with the U.S. company mean…

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Less than 3.5 % of Africans vaccinated against COVID

Less than 3.5% of Africans are vaccinated against COVID-19, far short of its official target of 60%, John Nkengasong, director of Africa's Centers for Disease Control, said. World Health Organization…

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Why Algeria cut diplomatic ties with Morocco: and implications for the future

The breakup of diplomatic relations between Algeria and Morocco in August is the product of a long history of tension. The two nations have never had long periods of friendship,…

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Give vaccines to Africa and ditch unproven third shot, AU says

Rich nations would do better to send vaccines to Africa to help fight the global COVID-19 pandemic rather than hoarding them for third-dose booster shots that scientific evidence does not…

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Africa’s COVID-19 third wave stabilises as vaccine levels rise – WHO

A third wave of COVID-19 infections in Africa has stabilised and the continent’s slow vaccination drive has picked up pace, the World Health Organisation said . Some 248,000 new cases…

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Ebola, other outbreaks, atop COVID-19, risk straining West Africa health systems -WHO

The World Health Organisation warned that on top of the COVID-19 pandemic, West Africa is facing new outbreaks of the viral haemorrhagic fevers Marburg and Ebola, risking huge strains on…

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Emergency vaccine summit needed to help Africa, says UK’s ex-PM Brown

U.S., British and Italian leaders must hold an emergency summit before the U.N. General Assembly to end vaccine inequality and send more shots to Africa and other low-income nations, former…

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Social media houseplant craze blamed for devastating succulent poaching across Africa

A houseplant craze on social media and Asian collectors are driving a devastating wave of illegal succulent poaching across Africa, threatening rare plant species with extinction in the wild. Botanists…

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WHO says COVID-19 related deaths in Africa reach record peak

Coronavirus related deaths in Africa reached record peak in the week that ended on Aug. 1, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Over 6,400 deaths were recorded, a 2% rise…

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