Africa

COVID-19 Shatters Hopes for Industrial Advance in Africa

But the Next Decade Might Trigger the Change Needed

Viewpoint by Jenny Larsen*

VIENNA (IDN) – Industrial development in Africa has been sluggish for some decades. Now, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic kick in, hopes for better progress, at least in the short term, appear to be fading. But if countries grasp the right opportunities, the next decade can deliver the industrial change needed to meet the challenges ahead.

Industrialization and development go hand in hand. There is hardly a country in the world that has developed without building a strong manufacturing base. But for Africa – sometimes referred to as the continent of the future – the fruits of industrialization have often seemed just out of reach.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 21 November 2020

Photo: The late Ghana President Jerry Rawlings sitting at a public function. The second phase of Ghana’s post-colonial history – from 1981 – is intensely controversial, centring on Rawlings himself. Source: Jerry John Rawlings Facebook

Legacy of Late Ghana President: A View from Nigeria

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene

The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria.

ABUJA (IDN) – The saying that a prophet is not appreciated at home may well be referring to former Ghanaian president, Jerry Rawlings, who died on November 12 from COVID-19 related complications, three weeks after his mother passed.

Ghana took to seven days of mourning, but Nigeria is crying more than the bereaved. Among Nigeria’s political elite, there has been a “condolence contest.” And among the wider public, the outpouring of grief and tribute on social media makes Ghana look like Rawlings’ distant second home.

: Africa & ME Editor; OPINION; 19 November 2020

Photo: Russian military expands in Africa by building bases in Africa. Credit: Russian Ministry of Defence.

Russia Expanding Its Military Bases in Africa

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) – After years of negotiations with Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia to establish naval bases, Russia has finally signed an agreement with Sudan, signifying further its return to Africa. Sharing a northern border with Egypt, Sudan is located on the strategic Red Sea coastline.

Moscow had a naval base in Somalia during the Soviet days, Eritrea appears to be steadily working for Russia, while Djibouti already hosts Chinese and American naval bases. China has a military base in Djibouti which was set up to support five mission areas. India is another Asian nation that has increased its naval presence in Africa. In order to protect its commercial sea-lanes from piracy, it has established a network of military facilities across the Indian Ocean.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Russia; 18 November 2020

Photo: Former Ghanaian leader Jerry John Rawlings, centre, greets people outside St. Paul's Catholic Church February 2, 2020. Rawlings, a Catholic, died November 12 at age 73 in the nation's capital, Accra. Credit: Damian Avevor/CNS.

In Memoriam of Rawlings, A Charismatic Leader and a Stalwart for Pan Africanism

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – “A bear of a man with a booming voice.” That’s how some will remember Ghana's former President Jerry John Rawlings who died November 12 in the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, according to local media reports. He was 73.

“A great tree has fallen and Ghana is poorer for this loss,” said Ghana’s current president, Nana Akufo-Addo. Ongoing campaigns for the December 7 general elections were suspended in recognition of the former leader.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 17 November 2020

Photo: Maxwell Matewere, addresses a local community in Malawi about the threat of human trafficking. Credit: UNODC

How I am Combating Human Trafficking in Malawi

By Maxwell Matewere

A Malawian crime prevention expert with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Maxwell Matewere, has been active in the anti-human trafficking field for more than two decades. The following is being republished from UN News,

LILONGWE (IDN) – I was a young, recent law graduate when I first experienced the horrors of human trafficking. It was in 1998. I was working for a human rights NGO and attending a workshop in South Africa. A taxi driver told me about two girls from my home country who worked in a bar in Johannesburg. He was very concerned about them.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 16 November 2020

Photo: Fire at Kilimanjaro National Park, United Republic of Tanzania. Credit: TANAPA/TANAPA

Kilimanjaro Threatened by Fires Which Shaped It

Viewpoint by Andreas Hemp*

BAYREUTH (IDN) – In October 2020, firefighters in Tanzania had to tackle a number of fires on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain and the largest free-standing mountain in the world. The mountain and surrounding forests fall into Kilimanjaro National Park, named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. Andreas Hemp provides a glimpse into the mountain’s natural environment and the challenges it faces.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 15 November 2020

Photo credit: Ms. Jane Mufamadi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Freedom Park Memorial Museum Complex in Pretoria, South Africa.

The Five-Nation BRICS Finds Unity in Cultural Diversity

Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) – Under the Russian Chairmanship of BRICS 2020, Moscow has organised and hosted a series of corporate conferences, business forums and other important events. For example, the Roundtable discussion on the theme “International Cultural Cooperation for Strengthening BRICS Unity” brought high-profiled participants from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It was part of efforts at broadening the scope of cooperation in different directions, and steps toward attaining an admirably influential position and becoming active on the global stage.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Russia; 13 November 2020

Photo: A deadly shipwreck off the coast of Senegal have taken at least 414 lives in 2020, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Source: UNDP

Shipwreck Off Senegalese Coast Prods UN to Call for Dismantling Trafficking and Smuggling Networks

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Migrants around the world are continuing their desperate flights for survival even though rescue efforts have slowed, and rich countries are building higher walls against the asylum seekers.

The deadliest shipwreck of the year occurred most recently off the coast of Senegal where at least 140 people drowned after a boat carrying around 200 migrants sank, according to the UN migration agency (IOM).

: Global Information Network; UN INSIDER; 12 November 2020

Photo: Trump has a hobby, a nasty hobby, of blocking Nigerian candidates for international positions. He incited the Board of the African Development Bank (AfDB) against its president Akinwunmi Adesina’s second term bid. And, he has been blocking, Nigeria/Africa’s candidate for the position of director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Collage of pictures of Akinwunmi Adesina (left) and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (right) by IDN-INPS.

Letter to US President-elect Joe Biden

By Azu Ishiekwene

The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria.

ABUJA (IDN) – If Nigerians had a vote, you’ll probably not be the 46th President of the United States of America. A Pew Research Centre poll in January showed that two countries – Kenya and Nigeria – were still madly in love with lame-duck President Donald J. Trump.

You might wonder why in spite of your long list of transgressions against Trump – from his malicious negligence in the fight against Coronavirus to his congenital lying, and from race-baiting to his crooked politics – we still love him.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 10 November 2020

Photo: Zanzibar. Credit: Kester Kenn Klomegah

Undeterred by Health Warnings, Russians Begin Flocking to Africa's Islands

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) – Despite the worsening coronavirus situation in Russia, at least during the months of October and November, Russian tourism agencies have briskly been organizing group tours to the Indian Ocean islands of Zanzibar, Seychelles and Mauritius.

Obviously, because the islands seem to have the lowest cases of the pandemic and have taken strict measures to halt the spread of COVID-19. And, these islands are favourite destinations for foreign tourists and have closely diverse geopolitical relations with the world.