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☆ West African militaries meet to finalise possible Niger intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Military personnel gesture as the ECOWAS anthem is played during a meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff on the deployment of the ECOWAS standby force in the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsACCRA/NIAMEY, Aug 18 (Reuters) - West African army chiefs were due to hold a second and final day of talks on Friday in Ghana's capital Accra, where they have been hashing out the details of a possible military intervention in Niger if diplomacy fails to reverse a military coup. Military officers deposed Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, the West African bloc ECOWAS and others to reinstate him, prompting regional powers to order a standby force to be assembled. He said most of the bloc's 15 member states were prepared to participate in the standby force excepting those also under military rule - Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea - and tiny Cape Verde. Any escalation would further destabilise West Africa's impoverished Sahel region, which is already battling a decade-old Islamist insurgency.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Alessandra Prentice, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: ECOWAS, Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, West African, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ACCRA, NIAMEY, Ghana's, Niger, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cape Verde, Sahel, al Qaeda

☆ ECOWAS sets ‘D-Day’ for possible military intervention in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The West African regional bloc ECOWAS says it has chosen an undisclosed “D-Day” for a possible military intervention to restore Niger’s democratically elected president following last month’s coup. Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace & Security of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc, said that military forces are “ready to go anytime the order is given” for military intervention in Niger. “The D-day is also decided, which we are not going to disclose,” Musah told journalists after the two-day meeting of West African defense chiefs in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. Last week, ECOWAS ordered the “activation” of a regional standby force to prepare itself to enter Niger, which was taken over by a military junta on July 26. Leaders ECOWAS responded to the coup by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention.

Persons: Abdel, Fatau Musah, ” Musah, Musah, ”, Mohamed Bazoum, Stringer Organizations: CNN, West African, ECOWAS, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Economic, West African States, West, Nigerien, Getty Locations: Niger, Accra, Niamey, AFP, France

[1/3] ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff meet on the deployment of its standby force in the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana. Niger military officers deposed President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, ECOWAS and Western powers to reinstate him, prompting West African heads of state to order the standby force to be assembled. "Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa...are ready to answer to the call of duty," ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said. Musah accused the Niger coup leaders of "playing cat-and-mouse" with ECOWAS by refusing to meet with its envoys and seeking justifications for their takeover of power. He said most of the bloc's 15 member states were prepared to participate in the standby force that could intervene in Niger.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Russia's Wagner, I'm, Omar Yaye, Musah, Bazoum, Anait Miridzhanian, Edward McAllister, Estelle Shirbon, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, West, ECOWAS, United Nations, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, European Union, Media, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Niger, Niamey, ACCRA, NIAMEY, West Africa, Gambia, Liberia, Sahel, Mali, Niger's, France, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cape Verde

☆ Kantamanto market: At one of the world’s largest clothing dumps, textiles are getting a new lease of life
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jenny Marc | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

They belong to a vendor in one of the world’s largest secondhand clothing markets, who plans on selling these clothes for a small profit. Using research, advocacy and innovation, the foundation draws attention to textile waste and finds ways to reuse it. A water stream across the street from Kantamanto textile market is choked with discarded clothing, essentially becoming a makeshift landfill. They purchase used clothing by the bale, without knowing what’s inside, in hopes of selling it for profit. The regulations will make the collection of textile waste mandatory in 2025, but the organization says these changes won’t be enough.

Persons: Ghana CNN — Kennie MacCarthy rummages, MacCarthy, ” MacCarthy, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Jenny Marc, “ I’ve, ”, –, Kayayei, “, Liz Branson, MacCarthy – Organizations: Ghana CNN, Bloomberg, Charities, CNN Merchants, Foundation, CNN, European Commission Locations: Accra, Ghana, Kantamanto, Europe, North America

☆ European airlines are adding up to 2 hours to flights to go around Niger after the African nation suddenly closed its airspace
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This means airlines flying between Europe and southern Africa have to detour around the volatile nation. Carriers like British Airways and Air France are impacted, the latter adding up to two hours of flight time. Airlines like Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa, and Swiss International Airlines are also avoiding Niger. With the closure of Niger's airspace, airlines are now grappling with an even wider section of no-fly territory in north-central Africa. This map shows the African territories that European airlines cannot fly over.

Persons: —, FlightRadar24, they're Organizations: Carriers, British Airways, Air, Morning, Bloomberg, juntas, BCC, KLM, Cape Town, Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, Japan Airlines, Finnair Locations: Europe, Africa, Air France, South Africa, Ghana, Niger, Johannesburg, London, Mali, Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso's, Ouagadougou, Cape, Entebbe, Uganda, Accra, Lagos, Nigeria, Russia, Helsinki, Tokyo, Germany, France, Libya, Sudan

REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File PhotoLONDON/GDANSK, Aug 7 (Reuters) - European carriers on Monday reported disruptions and suspended flights across the African continent after Niger's junta closed its airspace on Sunday. The junta on Monday braced for a response from the West African regional bloc after ignoring its deadline to reinstate the country's ousted president or face the threat of military intervention. The disruption adds to a band of African airspace facing geopolitical disruptions including Libya and Sudan, with some flights facing up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) in detours. But aviation analyst James Halstead said that airlines would mostly have to find alternative routes and difficulties should be limited given the small number of African air connections. Spokespeople for Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) and Brussels Airlines said that flight times could be between one-and-a-half and three-and-a-half hours longer for rerouted flights.

Persons: Charles de, Stephanie Lecocq, FlightRadar24, James Halstead, I'm, Ilona Wissenbach, Tim Hepher, Jason Neely, Mark Potter, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, West African, Air, Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, British Airways, Thomson Locations: Air France, Sudan, Djibouti, Paris, Charles de Gaulle, Roissy, France, GDANSK, Libya, detours, Europe, Africa, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Bamako, Mali, Accra, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, West Africa

☆ Ghana sanitation minister resigns over alleged stashed cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ACCRA, July 22 (Reuters) - Ghana's sanitation minister resigned on Saturday over reports staff found and stole stashes of local and foreign money from her home, she said in a letter to the president in which she denied any wrongdoing. Cecilia Abena Dapaah made headlines on Friday after two former household staff appeared in court accused of stealing cash and personal belongings from the minister and her husband between July and October 2022. Prosecutors told the court that the accused bought houses and a vehicle with the stolen money and gave some of it to relatives. Dapaah was appointed minister of sanitation and water resources when Akufo-Addo took power in 2017 and retained when he was re-elected in 2021. Reporting by Christian Akorlie and Maxwell Akalaare Adombila Editing by Sofia Christensen and Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Nana Akufo, ” Dapaah, Dapaah's, Dapaah, Addo, Christian Akorlie, Maxwell Akalaare, Sofia Christensen, Nick Macfie Organizations: Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: ACCRA

☆ Twitter laid off most of its workers in Africa last year. They say they've been ignored and left without severance
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former Twitter employees in Ghana, who were laid off in November, have been left without severance pay and have not heard from the company for three months, sources told CNBC. As part of new owner Elon Musk's cost-cutting efforts, Twitter fired nearly all of the staff at its only office in Africa. Under Ghanaian employment law, staff must be paid redundancy and should be granted three months' notice before they are made redundant. Twitter's workers in the capital Accra were given less than a month, according to the sources. "Twitter has dealt with us in bad faith since we were laid off in November 2022.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Elon Musk's, Musk Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Viva Technology, Porte de, Twitter, CNBC, Labour Office Locations: Paris, France, Ghana, Africa, Accra

☆ Laid-off Twitter Africa team ‘ghosted’ without severance pay or benefits, former employees say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Nairobi, Kenya CNN —Former employees of Twitter Africa who were laid off as part of a global cost-cutting measure after Elon Musk’s acquisition have not received any severance pay more than seven months since leaving the company, several sources told CNN. “They literally ghosted us,” one former Twitter Africa employee told CNN. Twitter and Musk face multiple lawsuits where plaintiffs are claiming the company has failed to pay former staffers what they are owed. The plaintiff said Twitter promised senior employees severance of six months of base pay plus one week for every year of service, in addition to other benefits. “We’re exploring our options with respect to causes of action against Twitter in various jurisdictions including Ghana,” Olympio told CNN.

Persons: “, ”, Carla Olympio, Musk, Ghana’s, ” Olympio, Twitter, David Odisho Organizations: Kenya CNN —, Twitter, Elon, CNN, Ghana’s Ministry of Employment, Labor Relations, BBC Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Twitter Africa, Accra, Africa, Ghana, San Francisco , California, Europe, North America

☆ Paul Ninson on how he was able to visit the ‘village with no men’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Lamide Akintobi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A place for women, by women: that’s what Umoja, a village in Samburu County, northern Kenya, represents. Founded in 1990 as a sanctuary for women of Samburu escaping gender-based violence, Umoja is home to females of all ages. Tourists who wish to visit Umoja are charged a small entrance fee, and can buy elaborate beaded jewellery and other crafts handmade by the Samburu women. Photographer Paul Ninson, pictured during a visit to Kenya, wants to capture images that "provoke thought and discussion about important topics." CNNStanton, who attended Dikan’s opening, said watching Ninson build the center was “surreal.”“He has stepped into a leadership role so effortlessly and intuitively.

Persons: Umoja, Paul Ninson, Paul, Ninson, ”, we’ve, ” Ninson, Brandon Stanton, Stanton, he’s, CNN Stanton, ” Stanton, “ Organizations: CNN, Tourists, International Center of Photography, Dikan Locations: Samburu County, Kenya, Samburu, Umoja, Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, New York, Ghana’s, Accra –, Accra

☆ The Man Who Pictured Ghana’s Rise at Home and Abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Aruna D Souza | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The 94-year-old British-Ghanaian photographer James Barnor calls himself “Lucky Jim” — he’s been “at the right place at the right time and met the right people” during a career spanning more than six decades and two continents, he said in a recent telephone interview from his London home. It’s easy to believe him looking at “James Barnor: Accra/London,” a major retrospective of his work across genres — studio and street photography, photojournalism and fashion, images that range from the quietly intimate to the historical and iconic. Shown at the Serpentine Galleries in London in 2021, the exhibition is on view in an expanded form at the Detroit Institute of Arts, through Oct. 15. Take a modest picture by Barnor from 1952 of Roy Ankrah, a Commonwealth featherweight boxing champion. Barnor posed the three on Nkrumah’s couch — and then jumped into the frame, perching on an armrest, becoming part of a momentous history unfolding.

Persons: James Barnor, “ Lucky Jim ” — he’s, Barnor, Roy Ankrah, Ankrah, Rebecca, Kwame Nkrumah Organizations: Detroit Institute of Arts, Commonwealth Locations: Ghanaian, Accra, London, ”, Republic of Ghana

☆ Ghana sees agreement with bilateral creditors in coming weeks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ofori-Atta said the West African nation aimed to reach agreement with bilateral creditors in coming weeks, adding that it was in the process of getting a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the creditors. The total external debt stock was about $30 billion. "We've successfully worked with the Paris Club and other creditors to determine the parameters for official debt restructuring under the G20 common framework for debt treatment," Ofori-Atta told journalists in Accra on Sunday. "In the coming weeks, we will seek to complete the MoU on terms with bilateral debt treatment," he added. Ofori-Atta said Ghana will continue discussions with private creditors, Eurobond investors on external debt to reach agreement with private creditors in the shortest possible time.

Persons: Ken Ofori, Atta, We've, Maxwell Akalaare Adombila, Bate Felix, Frances Kerry, David Evans Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, Paris Club, Thomson Locations: ACCRA, Ghana, West, China, Accra

ACCRA/LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - Ghana has sent a debt restructuring proposal to its official creditors, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, as the West African country battles to escape its worst economic crisis in a generation. Ghana intends to finish restructuring its domestic debt before turning to negotiations with its official, bilateral creditors and international bondholders, a government official said. The total external debt stock was about $30 billion. Ghana completed a domestic debt exchange with 65% of holders of local bonds in February and is also seeking relief on the bulk of the remainder of its domestic debt, including deals with pension funds, labour unions and independent power producers. It is restructuring its debt under the Common Framework process, set up by the G20 in 2020 to bring China and other newer creditor nations into joint sovereign debt restructuring negotiations, for its external debt rework.

Persons: Maxwell Akalaare Adombila, Rachel Savage, Karin Strohecker, Nick Macfie Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Paris Club, Thomson Locations: ACCRA, LONDON, Ghana, West, China, Rosario

ACCRA, June 1 (Reuters) - Ghanaian labour unions have asked the government for time to assess a proposal presented on Thursday to restructure pension funds worth around 30 billion Ghanaian cedis ($2.7 billion). The majority of eligible holders of Ghana's local bonds participated in a domestic debt exchange in February. The pension funds were exempted after unions threatened to strike, but have now been offered their own deal. Thomas Kwesi Esso, executive secretary of the lobby group for the pension funds, told Reuters that the offer was an improvement and addresses liquidity concerns with the old bonds. Editing by Alessandra Prentice, Rachel Savage and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Abraham Koomson, ”, Thomas Kwesi, ” Anthony Yaw Baah, Alessandra Prentice, Rachel Savage, Leslie Adler Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Finance Ministry, Reuters, International Monetary, Thomson Locations: ACCRA

☆ Aspen Pharmacare CEO Stephen Saad on the future of medicine in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Tom Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CEO Stephen Saad discussed the future of the pharmaceutical sector in Africa, and what lessons Aspen Pharmacare has learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, with CNN’s Eleni Giokos. During the pandemic, we’ve seen a spotlight on the inequalities that exist on the continent in the pharmaceutical sector. Aspen has had a very strong commercial presence across Africa and now you’re moving up the value chain. When Covid came and Africa needed vaccines, over 90% of the vaccines were supplied by India — and that wasn’t great. If it hadn’t been for Aspen, there would have been no vaccines made in Africa for the continent.

This paved the way for a sign-off on the IMF loan, which was agreed at staff level in December. Some $5.4 billion of debt to official creditors has been earmarked for restructuring, according to government data, as well as $14.6 billion of debt to private overseas creditors. Zambia, the first African country to default in the COVID-19 era, secured an IMF loan in September 2022 and still has not agreed debt restructuring terms with creditors. Analysts expect Ghana's process to be faster and smoother than Zambia's since China holds a smaller proportion of Ghana's debt. China is Zambia's largest bilateral creditor and has been accused of delaying that country's debt restructuring, which it denies.

These areas, which we've dubbed " jump zones ," span the globe, covering 6% of Earth's land mass. That's 57% more people living in jump zones than two decades earlier, increasing the odds that a deadly bat virus could spill over. The world's jump zones have lost 21% percent of their tree cover in almost two decades' time, double the worldwide rate. Almost one-third of that expansion would be in existing jump zones, where spillover risk is already high. Though those countries require mining companies to assess potential environmental harms that new concessions might cause, none require companies to evaluate spillover risk.

ACCRA, May 14 (Reuters) - Ghana expects the International Monetary Fund to approve a first loan tranche of $600 million as soon as Wednesday, paving the way for disbursement within a week, Minister of State in the Finance Ministry Mohammed Amin Adam told Reuters on Sunday. Ghana is seeking $3 billion from the Fund to shore up its battered economy. On Friday, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Ghana's official creditors had provided the necessary financing assurances for the IMF Executive Board to look at signing off on the loan. Adam said he expected negotiations with both sets of creditors to go well once the IMF signs off on the loan. Adam said the government was also in talks with the African Development Bank for over $100 million for the stability fund.

☆ Ghana's main opposition party picks Mahama as 2024 presidential candidate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ACCRA, May 14 (Reuters) - Ghana’s main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress, voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to retain former president, John Mahama, as its leader for the 2024 presidential election. This is the third time Mahama will run for the top job in Ghana, one of Africa's most stable democracies. The upcoming presidential vote is expected to be keenly contested. Mahama, 64, secured 297,603 votes, representing 98.9% of votes cast, the electoral commission said early on Sunday. "I am humbled by the overwhelming vote of confidence reposed in me by the party," Mahama said shortly after the declaration.

LONDON, April 21 (Reuters) - African countries are lining up to approve a new vaccine for malaria, with 20 million doses available for them to buy this year, the shot’s manufacturer told Reuters. African countries that do not have extensive resources for drug regulation have previously relied on the U.N. agency to initially review new medicines. "We expect many more countries to come through," Mary Hamel, the WHO's malaria vaccine implementation head, told the expert meeting on Tuesday. “We are committed to making the R21 vaccine available to people who need it most,” Poonawalla said. FUNDING DOUBTSThe moves are a further sign that African countries want to exert their own pharmaceutical oversight after COVID-19 exposed inequity in vaccine supply.

☆ 'We should be worried': Finance leaders warn rising interest rates are squeezing low-income countries
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Ernest Ankomah/Getty ImagesLeaders of several global financial bodies warned that rising interest rates are increasing pressure on low-income developing countries, around 60% of which are now in or at high risk of debt distress. A lot of the debt accrued by low-income countries is coming due over the next couple of years, however, and rising interest rates mean these countries will find it increasingly difficult to meet their repayments. As such, van Trotsenburg called for "renewed solidarity with developing countries" from international bodies and major economies not just in the form of words, but with increased resources. "That's actually something that we raised a decade ago when we saw a rapid rise in the indebtedness levels of low-income countries. Diop said establishing a firm path toward economic growth in developing economies would enable them to generate investment and stand a better chance of meeting future loan obligations.

☆ U.S. Seeks Ways to Help Burkina Faso’s Military Junta Fight Jihadists
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Michael M. Phillips | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ACCRA, Ghana—The Biden administration is quietly helping Burkina Faso’s ruling junta battle al Qaeda and Islamic State in a hotly contested corner of West Africa, without running afoul of U.S. laws banning most security aid to military regimes. The U.S. has included Burkinabe commandos in American-led exercises, but excluded the West African country’s top officer from an international gathering of defense chiefs after a military takeover last year. The Pentagon has a team of U.S. Green Berets stationed in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital, but won’t allow them to train their beleaguered local counterparts.

☆ Vice President Harris to announce major U.S. order for community solar power
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday plans to announce a commitment between South Korean solar cell manufacturer Qcells and Virginia-based Summit Ridge Energy to deploy 1.2 gigawatts of community solar power, the largest community solar order in U.S. history. The deal will require the manufacturing of 2.5 million solar panels, Biden administration officials said, generating enough clean electricity to power 140,000 homes and businesses. Community solar generally refers to local solar facilities shared by community subscribers who receive credit on their energy bills for their share of the power produced. Qcells in January said it will invest $2.5 billion to expand its solar manufacturing capacity in Georgia. The company projects it will supply about 30% of total U.S. demand for solar panels by 2027.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is the highest ranking in a string of top administration officials to travel through Africa this year. The Biden administration is pushing hard for American businesses to invest in Africa despite the obstacles they face there, more than a decade after China began expanding its economic and political ties with countries across the continent. Vice President Kamala Harris pledged Tuesday in Ghana’s seaside capital to “double down” on efforts to bring billions of dollars in investments to Africa, a continent that many Western investors still view as high risk. Ms. Harris is the highest ranking in a string of top White House and Biden administration officials to travel through Africa this year, promising to unlock American investment as both the U.S. and China look to tap into the continent’s vast natural resources.

☆ Kamala Harris wraps up Ghana visit, heads to Tanzania
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with women entrepreneurs during her week-long trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, in Accra, Ghana March 29, 2023. REUTERS/Francis KokorokoACCRA, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will meet Ghanaian women entrepreneurs on Wednesday to discuss economic empowerment and leadership, her last engagement in Accra before heading to Tanzania to continue her week-long African tour. She is scheduled to leave Ghana after her roundtable with women entrepreneurs and fly to the Tanzanian commercial capital Dar es Salaam, where she will meet President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday and fulfil other engagements. On Friday, she will fly to Zambia, where she will meet President Hakainde Hichilema and participate in other events. Reporting by Francis Kokoroko; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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