Ghana’s Health Ministry has issued a health alert following a “strange disease” that has claimed eleven lives in West African country, Liberia. According to the Ministry, it had received information that at least nine others have been infected by the disease, adding that all the victims reported similar symptoms. “The symptoms reported by the victims … Read more
The BBC’s renowned West Africa reporter, Umaru Fofana, believes West African countries must do more to ensure that the integration of the sub-region is not just between governments, but also citizens of their respective nations. Speaking on Citi FM‘s Eyewitness News, Umaru Fofana, a Sierra Leone national, stressed that, integration efforts had to be “deliberately people-led”. … Read more
A baby boy born on a plane between Saudi Arabia and India has been promised free flights for life. Indian airline Jet Airways said on Sunday that it had bestowed the honour on a baby born on a Boeing 737 bound for Kochi from Dammam. Flight 9W 569 was forced to divert to Mumbai after … Read more
IOM Rome spokesperson Flavio Di Giacomo reported that when IOM last released figures (13 June), over 3,000 migrants arrived in Italy after having been rescued since last weekend. He said new rescues took place on Thursday and were continuing Friday morning, although details of these operations were still not available to IOM teams on the … Read more
Wild-eyed with matted hair after four days in the searing Sahara sun, Ibrahim Kande climbs out of the pick-up truck he has ridden from Libya back to dusty Agadez in central Niger. Currently the smuggling capital of Africa, Agadez is a crossroads of hope and shattered dreams where would-be migrants headed for a better life … Read more
Maria gave smugglers all her family savings and crossed three countries and the searing Libyan desert, but when she finally boarded a boat for Europe her dream was swiftly shattered. She was 24 and pregnant with her second child when she left Liberia with her husband and their three-year-old son. The family passed through Guinea … Read more
Players from a Beijing football club bowed around the flag-draped coffin of their late Ivorian team-mate Cheick Tiote on Tuesday in an emotional farewell a week after he suddenly collapsed during training. His brother, fans, friends and Ivory Coast embassy officials also attended the ceremony at a funeral home to honour the 30-year-old midfielder, who … Read more
Footage of Guinea’s President Alpha Conde, 79, berating and mocking students has morphed into a national debate about his conduct, forcing the government to repeat a promise to provide university-goers with tablet computers. Tensions began at a student forum held on June 1, when Conde ranted at a booing section of young attendees, accusing them … Read more
Uche’s real journey had yet to begin but he had already spent four days in the northern Nigerian city of Kano after travelling on public buses and potholed roads from Imo state in the southeast. He planned to go to Agadez, a transit town on the southern edge of the Sahara desert in central Niger, … Read more
Cheick Tiote’s body will arrive back in the Ivory Coast on Thursday where tributes will be paid to the international by his former teammates, the Ivorian Football Federation (IFF) said on Monday. Tiote — who was a member of the Ivory Coast squad that ended a 23-year drought by winning the 2015 Africa Cup of … Read more
Monday June 5, 2017 marked World Environment Day. The day cannot pass by without talking about Chinese attitude and global environmental debacles. Don’t I sound excessively stereotypical and judgmental? Hey Jack! Wake up for trip to Ghana, West Africa and you will thumb me up! The country’s rainforest, agriculturally viable hectors of land and water … Read more
Knowledge Musona celebrated his first match as Zimbabwe captain with a sensational hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Liberia in Harare on Sunday. And it was all smiles for Ghana who crushed Ethiopia 5-0 as qualifying for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon got underway this weekend. Musona’s heroics sent Zimbabwe to the … Read more
African Union chairman Alpha Conde on Sunday put himself forward as a mediator in the crisis between Qatar and other Gulf countries, urging dialogue after several African nations also recalled their ambassadors to Doha. Conde, who is president of Guinea which has close ties to Saudi Arabia, said in a letter to King Salman he … Read more
Former African champions Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Zambia all lost at home Saturday on a day of upsets in the first qualifying round for the 2019 Cup of Nations. Three-time champions Nigeria lost a competitive game against South Africa for the first time when they fell 2-0 in the southern Nigerian town of Uyo in … Read more
More than 40 years ago, Americans were afraid to go into the water as “Jaws” scared the daylights out of a generation of ocean swimmers. Hollywood is hoping for a repeat this summer with the movie “47 Meters Down.” There have been more than 50 shark movies since Steven Spielberg made cinematic history with “Jaws” … Read more
A total of 19 African countries on Thursday launched an EU-funded network to tackle piracy, high seas robbery, kidnappings and human trafficking in the strategically important Gulf of Guinea. The Gulf of Guinea interregional network (GOGIN) officially began operations after a ceremony in the Cameroon capital Yaounde. “Nineteen African coastal nations, from Angola to Senegal, … Read more
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said it has extended the mandate of its military mission in The Gambia. The force, consisting mainly of soldiers from neighbouring Senegal, was first sent to the small country in January to compel longstanding president Yahya Jammeh to relinquish power to his elected successor Adama Barrow. At … Read more
The African Union (AU) on Saturday joined the chorus of disapproval at US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the landmark Paris climate deal, expressing its full support for the initiative. The current head of the regional grouping, Guinean President Alpha Conde, called for the matter to be discussed at the G20 summit … Read more
The African Union (AU) on Saturday joined the chorus of disapproval at US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the landmark Paris climate deal, expressing its full support for the initiative. The current head of the regional grouping, Guinean President Alpha Conde, called for the matter to be discussed at the G20 summit … Read more
At least 44 migrants, including women and babies, were found dead after their vehicle broke down in the desert of northern Niger while on the way to Libya, local officials said Thursday. “The number of migrants who died in the desert is 44 for now,” said Rhissa Feltou, the mayor of Agadez, a remote town … Read more