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Ivory Coast is probing claims its security forces raped five women during a crackdown on illegal gold mining in the country's northeast, a lawmaker and a source following the case said on Friday.
The president also stressed the importance of keeping the economy open after months of stifling movement restrictions.
He urged citizens not to drop their guard and continue adhering to the health rules, such as wearing face masks and respecting curfew times.
South Africa has recorded just over 800,000 coronavirus infections - more than a third of the cases reported across the African continent - and over 20,000 deaths.
AFP
The focus is to educate and inform our community.
The Pan-Africanist Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo
The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, is seeking a second term in the upcoming presidential election on Monday. Although often positively-viewed by many other Africans on the continent and abroad as a Pan-Africanist, his win is not guaranteed in his home country as he must succeed in convincing Ghanaians that he is still the same worthy candidate for whom the majority of the population voted four years prior. Early Days and Career Début
Born in 1944 in the capital, Accra to a family of the national political elite, Akufo-Addo saw his own father Edward Akufo-Addo become president in the late 1960s as a member of the \"Big Six\" i.e. the fathers of independence of the nation of Ghana. Educated in London, Akufo-Addo he worked as a lawyer in France and England — specialising in human rights before returning to Ghana where he eventually became involved with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 1992 when the country returned to democracy following decades of military rule.
His career path as a lawyer then as a member of parliament and minister garnered Akufo-Addo a strong anti-corruption reputation which resulted in high expectations for his presidency.
According to Kwesi Jonah, a researcher at the Ghana Institute for Democratic Governance, \"Everyone saw him as the one who would be able to put an end to corruption.\"
Accusations of mission obstruction by the special prosecutor — who resigned a month later, to oversee a corruption investigation initiative appointed by Akufo-Addo upon his election in December 2016, raised questions about the authenticity of his presidential brand amongst the Ghanian public.
Presidential Term Overview
Kwesi Jonah believes that the 76-year-old Ghanaian president was in a better position to win the election than he is today. President Akufo-Addo had promised to improve education accessibility- a sector which has seen success, and create job employment as a substantial percentage of Ghanian youth is without work.
An asset for the president, in a country where 18 to 35-year-olds represent more than half of the electorate.
He also pledged to diversify the Ghanian economy which has been dependent on primary resources (gold, cocoa and, more recently, oil), and to reduce taxes in the private sector to encourage investment.
Since his election in 2016, although President Akufo-Addo has managed to contain the increase in debt and inflation, more than half of voters believe that he has failed to improve their standard of living and create jobs — according to a survey conducted by Afrobarometer in 2019.
Economically, Ghana has taken a giant step forward in the last decade, but the country - just like most other countries, has been very much affected by the Covid-19 pandemic with its economic growth this year expected to fall to 1.5%, the lowest rate in 37 years.
Another Four Years as President?
Nevertheless, the President’s swift handling of the coronavirus crisis has been applauded both in Ghana and abroad. In particular, the
The 23-year-old man from the Eastern Cape was sentenced after he pleaded guilty for the rape of a boy at a traditional ceremony.
Growing Food Insecurity Threatens West Africa
With these words, experts from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Food Crisis Prevention Network and Sahel Club sounded the alarm on Thursday. It is estimated that more than 16 million people have been facing a situation of acute food crisis in West Africa and the Sahel since October,
And the already dire situation could get even worse in West Africa as unless swift action is taken, up to 24 million people could go hungry between June and August 2021, one of the most difficult periods to obtain food just before harvest season begins in the fields.
The Problematic Presence of Islamist Terrorism
There is a lack of resources, mainly due to challenges of insecurity which have gradually grown more complicated to overcome in affected nations. In Nigeria alone, where Islamist extremists have been wreaking havoc in the north of the country, the number of people threatened by hunger could reach 13 million, i.e. half of the total West African population.
In the Sahel, four million refugees displaced as a result of jihadist terrorist attacks are also at risk of food insecurity.
In spite of the diverse efforts of various governments and their international allies, the next six months could be catastrophic for millions of people.
By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer BOSTON (AP) — IBM security researchers say they have detected a cyberespionage effort using targeted phishing emails to try to collect vital information on the World Health Organization's initiative for distributing COVID-19 vaccine to developing countries. The researchers said they could not be sure who was behind the campaign, which began in September, or if it was successful. But the precision targeting and careful efforts to leave no tracks bore 'the potential hallmarks of nation-state tradecraft,' they said in a blog post Thursday. The campaign's targets, in countries including Germany, Italy, South Korea and […]
The post Phishing ploy targets COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort appeared first on Black News Channel.
There we have it. Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that significantly stronger lockdown restrictions will be implemented in NMB - with others 'on the radar'.
The horrific Limpopo crash in Mokopane on Wednesday night involved a truck, five sedans and four pedestrians.
In the latest news in South Africa on Friday 4 December, Nelson Mandela Bay has officially been declared a Covid-19 hot spot.
Megyn Kelly offered an interesting opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement during a recent interview. Read More: Fox News... View Article
The post Megyn Kelly says BLM 'morphed into movement 'co-opted by activists' appeared first on TheGrio.
Ivory Coast has finally issued passports to former president Laurent Gbagbo, which will allow him to return from exile in Belgium.
Gbagbo has been based in Belgium since he was acquitted on war crime charges last year at the International Criminal Court.
With his documents in hand, his lawyer says he's planning to return to the Ivory Coast this month.
Gbagbo has been a vocal critic of President Alassane Ouattara, who was recently elected for a controversial third term, which sparked deadly clashes that killed 85 people.
He had hoped to run against him in the October 31 vote but was barred from running after authorities cited a criminal conviction for misappropriating funds from the central bank.
Gbagbo also had no passport to return from Europe.
He faced trial in The Hague for crimes against humanity and war crimes related to the civil war, which saw some 3,000 killed. The prosecution is appealing against his acquittal.
It is not clear what he will do once he gets home, nor what the reaction will be.
Though he will undoubtedly be welcomed by his supporters.
Mali's interim government on Thursday announced the composition of a new legislative body for the West African country's transition to civilian rule, with the military retaining a key role.
Young army officers in the conflict-ridden Sahel state toppled president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on August 18 after weeks of anti-government protests.
Under the threat of international sanctions, the officers between September and October handed power to an interim government, which is meant to rule for 18 months before staging elections.
Coup leader Colonel Assimi Goita, who was made vice president of the interim government, was given veto power last month over the appointments to the 121-seat legislative body.
The move was seen by critics of the military-dominated interim regime as strengthening army control.
The final list for the new National Transitional Council was published by a decree from the interim president, Bah Ndaw, himself a retired army colonel.
The list of appointments was read out late Thursday on national television. Members of the defense and security forces received 22 seats.
The body will meet for the first time on Saturday and will elect its president.
The opposition June 5 Movement, or M5, last month called for \"resistance\" after it was announced Goita would have the final say on the MPs.
As interim vice president, Goita is in charge of security issues in a country which has struggled to quell a brutal militant insurgency since 2012.
The transitional government's mandate is meant to last for 18 months with a return to democratic civilian rule.
The disagreements over the assembly's composition threaten to derail plans for elections, national reconciliation and the fight against militants in the north of the country.
Anger over the seemingly endless conflict, as well as over perceived corruption, contributed to the protests which culminated in Keita's ouster.
[Shabelle] The President of Puntland State of Somalia, His Excellency Said Cabdullahi Deni, has commended UNFPA Somalia for the good cooperation with the Government in working towards prioritizing health services and youth empowerment in Puntland.
A Prince George's County work group assembled to address police reform approved a final report Wednesday with 50 recommendations such as reallocating money toward mental health and behavioral services for students to County Council approving a use-of-force statute.
[East African] Patrick Youssef, the International Committee of the Red Cross Director of Operations for Africa, spoke to Fred Oluoch about the challenges on the continent
The Garden Route has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases and according to the health department, hospitals in the area are taking serious strain.
Gift of the Givers has brought clean water to the village of Ngqushwa in the Eastern Cape, something the municipality has not been able to do for years.
Ramaphosa addressed the nation on 3 December and warned that Sarah Baartman District and the Garden Route could face additional restrictions.
According tonytimes.com, American athleteRafer Johnson, who carried the United States flag into Rome’s Olympic Stadium in August 1960 as the first Black captain of a U.S. Olympic team and went on to win gold in the decathlon bringing him acclaim as the world’s greatest all-around […]
The post R.I.P. Rafer Johnson, 86, Gold Medalist in the 1960 Olympic Decathlon appeared first on The New York Beacon.
A continuation of these encounters only continues to erode the trust of Black community members weary of a system founded to enslave them. By Charise Frazier, NewsOne A Black, Los Angeles man is recovering from injuries sustained during an encounter with the police which began as a plea for help. On Tuesday an unnamed man […]
BETH HARRIS | AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) - Rafer Johnson, who won the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics and helped subdue Robert F. Kennedy's assassin in 1968, died Wednesday. He was 86. He died at his home in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles, according to family friend Michael Roth. No […]
The post Rafer Johnson, 1960 Olympic Decathlon Champion, Dies at 86 appeared first on Voice and Viewpoint.
Even as the world awaits the deployment of a COVID-19 vaccine, Africa’s chances at getting a shot remains remote in the short term according to experts.
That, coupled with the need to cushion health systems across the continent from being overwhelmed is the other reason for the deployment of a clinical trial named, ANTICOV – the largest trial targeting mild to moderate cases of the virus.
Why the need for targeted trial According to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, DNDi, ANTICOV’s main goal “is to identify treatments that prevent mild cases from progressing to severe forms of the disease - and thus prevent local health systems from being overwhelmed.”
“Treating mild cases is key in Africa because ICU capacity is not as strong as may be in other developed nations,” a a DNDi statement issued on November 24 stressed. The initiative is working with other partners on this project.
“We welcome the ANTICOV trial led by African doctors because it will help answer one of our most pressing questions: with limited intensive care facilities in Africa, can we treat people for COVID-19 earlier and stop our hospitals from being overwhelmed?” John Nkengasong, head of the African Union’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said of the trial.
Role of hydroxychloroquine
Hydroxychloroquine will be one of the drugs to be studied initially, because there are no large multi- country studies yet about efficacy of the drug for mild cases. HCQ remains the standard of care for COVID in 16 African countries, so this trial will provide key evidence to inform health policies and national guidelines.
One of the key trials that is known to be undertaken in Africa is the World Health Organization, WHO’s solidarity trials but it focuses on severe cases whiles ANTICOV will look more at mild cases with the view to nip the possible transit into severity.
Thirteen countries sign up
Thirteen countries across the continent have signed up for the trial. The majority of these countries are in West Africa; Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. East African countries include, Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan and Kenya.
Central Africa has three countries participating – Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mozambique is the sole southern African country to sign up for the trial.
The clinical trial will be carried out at 19 sites continent wide by the ANTICOV consortium, which includes 26 prominent African and global research and development (R&D) organizations, coordinated by DNDi.
Africa’s case load as of December 2, 2020 according to Africa CDC
Number of cases = 2,196,257
Number of deaths = 52,490
Number of recoveries = 1,862,685
Number of active cases = 386,062
Most impacted country = South Africa; 790,004 cases
Least impacted country = Seychelles; 172 cases
Funding for the trial
Major funding for the ANTICOV consortium is provided by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through KfW and by the global health agency Unitaid a
“He will be out the hospital tomorrow.”
Information has been circulating that social housing projects in central Cape Town will be cancelled. Is there any truth to it?
A Mpumalanga man has been sentenced to life behind bars for brutally killing his former girlfriend on a bus in front of horrified passengers.
The practice of flying with a pet for emotional support has exploded over recent years, with travellers seeking to board with all sorts of non-human mental health aides.
The Cheetahs will hand Currie Cup debuts to two players when they travel to Loftus to face the Bulls on Saturday 5 December.
