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☆ 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

☆ Africa Walk 2023: Africa's creative industry takes center stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Themed “Unleashing the potential and value of the African Creative Industry,” the continent’s billion-dollar creative industry will be at the center of conversations at the event, which aims to shine a spotlight on the possibilities and untapped value that the industry holds. Courtesy Platform CapitalAs an advocate for the continent’s cultural potential, Akindele is passionate about changing misconceptions surrounding the African creative industry at Africa Walk. “There’s a myth about the creative industry (in Africa) - that it is not structured and that you cannot put money in there,” he said. Similar to the oil industry’s success, the creative industry requires a lot of refineries to produce the finest oil product. The same refining is highly needed for our creative industry now,” said the singer whose real name is Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo.

Persons: ”, Lehle Balde, Akintoye Akindele, ” Akindele, Lai Mohammed, Renee Yao, “, Nollywood, Party ”, Afrobeats, Kunle Remi, D’banj, creatives, “ I’ve, Daniel Oyebanjo, Oyebanjo, Riyah Abdul, ” Abdul Organizations: Nigeria CNN, Capital, CNN, African Creative Industry, Nigerian Information, Global Healthcare, Nvidia, Party, Africa Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Africa, Senegal, Dakar, Lagos, Europe, North America, Asia, South Africa, Kenya

☆ 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

☆ In upcycling drive, South African designers give new life to Western fashion waste
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Catherine Schenck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] South African aspiring designer Khumo Morojele inspects a second hand clothing imported from the West and sold in bales in markets known as Dunusa, at his studio, in Johannesburg South Africa, July 3, 2023.REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File PhotoJOHANNESBURG, July 14 (Reuters) - Two South African aspiring designers, Khumo Morojele and Klein Muis, spend hours at a second-hand street market in Johannesburg looking for fashion items. The duo then upcycles what they find into clothing or accessories they say express uniquely African style. The duo's current project, "Dunusa: Life of a Garment", sees them sourcing second-hand clothing often sent to Africa from European countries, which are then deconstructed and reworked into avant-garde and abstract fashion. They are working with a Ghanaian shoemaker on a project to turn old soccer boots into sandals that reflect both African and European love for the sport. Reporting by Catherine Schenck, Writing by Tannur Anders; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Khumo Morojele, Siphiwe, Klein Muis, Catherine Schenck, Tannur Anders, Olivia Kumwenda, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg South Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Johannesburg, Africa, Berlin

☆ 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

☆ Why Egusi Is More Than Just a Great Soup
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Yewande Komolafe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Elsewhere in southwest Houston, Ms. Lakshmi tastes suya, bole, fufu, asun and jollof, tries her hand at pounding yam and practices the art of scooping soup with swallows. She moves from the kitchen at Margaret Chibuzo’s Safari restaurant to the dining room, where she shares egusi soup with the gospel singer Stacy Egbo. I encountered not just the Nigerian, but the Liberian, Ghanaian and broader West African communities in Newark and Charlotte, Atlanta and Albuquerque. By ensuring access to ingredients, they’d helped steward our shared culture a world away. Versions of egusi soup dotted menus in every city we stopped, and I relished each one.

Persons: jollof, Margaret Chibuzo’s, Stacy Egbo, they’d Organizations: Liberian Locations: Houston, bole, fufu, United States, Newark, Charlotte, Atlanta, Albuquerque

☆ Opinion | Their Pot Convictions Were Erased, but They Still Face Deportation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Jill Applegate | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The laws had the effect of automatically erasing certain low-level convictions related to the drug. Yet, for many immigrants who received deportation orders because of their marijuana convictions, the benefits of these new laws have yet to materialize. Mr. Siriboe was ordered to be deported in 2013 because of three convictions for low-level marijuana sales from 1999 to 2001. For nearly a decade, Mr. Siriboe was forced to check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement at least twice a year while he waited for the government to deport him. He also watched with hope as the New York Legislature debated, and then passed, its 2019 law decriminalizing marijuana.

Persons: Kwame Siriboe, Siriboe Organizations: Customs, New, Legislature Locations: New York, Ghanaian, Immigration

☆ Why Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo is mentoring Ghanaian writer Ayesha Harruna Attah
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Rochelle Beighton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Attah said that being selected personally by Evaristo “is an honor of a lifetime.”“I was overjoyed because I love Bernardine’s boldness as a writer. In 2012, she launched the Brunel International African Poetry Prize, now renamed the Evaristo African Poetry Prize, with the aim of providing a platform for emerging poets from Africa and the diaspora. For Evaristo, mentorship is about more than just refining writing skills. Both Evaristo and Attah share a commitment to challenging misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding Africa and its people through their work. “People have said to me, “Isn’t writing about Africa or Black people limiting?” Evaristo said.

Persons: Bernardine Evaristo, Evaristo, Booker, Ayesha Harruna Attah, “, ” Evaristo, Attah, Evaristo “, ”, ” Attah, Don’t, ’, ‘, ” MARTIN BOURKE, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, Protégé Arts Initiative, Arts, Brunel University London, Brunel International Locations: Africa, Europe, America, Athens, Greece, Senegal, Nigerian, London, New York, Trinidad, Ghana, England, White

☆ Who Owns the Benin Bronzes? The Answer Just Got More Complicated.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After years of ignored pleas and stonewalled requests, deals were finally coming together to return some of Africa’s most prized treasures to the continent. The Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the German government announced they were returning scores of sculptures, plaques and ornaments, known as the Benin Bronzes, that British soldiers had plundered in 1897 from Benin City, in what is now Nigeria but was once the center of a kingdom. Plans were underway for a glittering new museum designed by the British Ghanaian architect David Adjaye to showcase and protect the returned treasures. At a moment when museums worldwide are trying to come to grips with contested artifacts in their collections, this development underscores how complex restitution efforts can be. It decreed that any returned artifacts “may be kept within the palace of the oba,” or in any location that he considers secure.

Persons: David Adjaye, Muhammadu Buhari, oba Organizations: Smithsonian Institution, Metropolitan Museum of Art Locations: Benin, Benin City, Nigeria, British Ghanaian

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

☆ The Venice Architecture Biennale puts Africa center stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Marianna Cerini | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Venice, Italy CNN —Until recently, the Venice Architecture Biennale — arguably the world’s largest architecture exhibition — has drawn crowds for its (mainly Western) star appeal. In a May 20 Facebook post titled “Venice Biennale Blues,” Zaha Hadid Architects’ principal, Patrik Schumacher, wrote that “the ‘Architecture’ Biennale is mislabeled and should stop laying claim to the title of architecture. The German pavilion, which is displaying construction waste produced by 2022’s Venice Art Biennale is a case in point. The German Pavilion at the 18th Architecture Biennale is displaying and repurposing constuction waste from the city's Art Biennale last year. The British Pavilion curators Meneesha Kellay, Joseph Henry, Jayden Ali and Sumitra Upham, with commissioner Sevra Davis, photographed in London.

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.

☆ Erling Haaland is on track to become 'the best striker ever' after record-breaking season
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Would he adapt to life in the Premier League? Only Dixie Dean, who scored 63 in the 1927/28 season, has more goals in English football during a single top-flight campaign. Haaland’s Premier League tally, which includes four hat-tricks, is a league record for a single season, breaking the previous mark held jointly by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole. Haaland, Addo observes, has modified his game to devastating effect since arriving in the Premier League, taking his pace, power, and deadly finishing to another level. Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images/Getty ImagesAddo, a former Dortmund player and Ghanaian international, oversees the development of the Bundesliga club’s talented crop of young players.

☆ Rare day at Vatican as two popes share stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tawadros, dressed in black robes, was the guest of honour at Francis' general audience in a rainy St. Peter's Square. In his greeting to Tawadros, Francis recalled the 20 Egyptian Copts who were kidnapped and beheaded on a beach in Libya by Islamic State in 2015. Copts comprise about 10 percent of Egypt's mostly Muslim population and there are small Coptic Christian communities throughout the Middle East and Africa. Coptic Orthodox Christians trace their origins to St. Mark the Apostle. Tawadros is due to have a private meeting with Francis on Thursday and visit the Vatican department that promotes Christian unity.

Prince Albert of Monaco said in an interview with People magazine that he and his wife, Charlene, would be attending. King Felipe VI of Spain, who ascended to the throne in 2014 after his father’s abdication, will attend, according to the Spanish news media. Crown Prince Fumihito of Japan and Crown Princess Kiko, on behalf of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, will attend, according to the Japanese news media. Credit... Clodagh Kilcoyne/ReutersSeveral members of Britain’s government will attend, as will about 100 heads of state from around the world, according to Buckingham Palace. British RoyalsImage Prince Harry, center, will be present at the coronation, though his wife, Meghan, and their children, will remain in California.

☆ Best rice dishes: 20 delicious specialties from around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

And while famous rice dishes such as sushi, fried rice and paella are among the most prominent in the global spotlight, there are so many more rice recipes out there to put on your radar – and seek out on your travels. Wali wa kukaanga, KenyaWali wa kukaanga is Kenya’s answer to fried rice, and translates to just that in Swahili. So it’s no surprise that the Polynesian island country’s most popular rice dish, alaisa fa’apopo, has ties to the coconut, too. Thai fried rice (Khao Pad), ThailandThai fried rice uses the layering of flavors that's characteristic of the country's cuisine. ArenaCreative/Adobe StockWhen it comes to fried rice, the Chinese version tends to steal the spotlight.

☆ Jared Leto wears giant 'Choupette' costume to Met Gala
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Ben Kellerman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Jared Leto, dressed as Karl Lagerfeld's cat Choupette, poses at the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute with this year's theme "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty", in New York City, New York, U.S., May 1, 2023. The invitation-only Met Gala, famed for its A-list celebrities and extravagant outfits, is a benefit for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit. “Karl loved romantic but he also loved something a little edgy and nasty,” said American fashion designer Michael Kors. Meta Gala co-chair Dua Lipa wore a vintage 1992 Chanel Haute Couture Fall cream tweed gown and paired it with a never before seen 100 karat Tiffany diamond necklace. Reporting by Ben Kellerman in New York; Writing by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hodgson's second spell at Palace begins with first win of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - Roy Hodgson's second stint as Crystal Palace manager began with a 2-1 Premier League win over Leicester City on Saturday, as the London side registered their first victory in 2023 thanks to a late winner from Jean-Philippe Mateta. Hodgson had been brought in to secure Palace's future in the top flight but with both teams looking likely to extend their winless runs, Jordan Ayew took matters into his hands in added time in the second half with a solo run into Leicester's half. We needed this win – for the team, for the new manager... Meanwhile, Ivorian winger and Palace's top scorer this season Wilfried Zaha was forced to limp off with a groin injury. Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ Kamala Harris Pledges $100 Million to West Africa Nations to Fight Extremist Threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Annie Linskey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Vice President Kamala Harris with Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, in blue tie, in Accra, Ghana, the first stop on her three-country Africa trip. ACCRA, Ghana—Vice President Kamala Harris announced Monday that the U.S. will provide $100 million over 10 years in new security aid to help West African countries fend off threats posed by terrorist and extremist groups, including al Qaeda, that have been expanding in the region. The bulk of the money—at least $86 million—will be provided over the next three years to Ghana, Benin, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Togo, according to the Biden administration. The funds “will address security governance and development issues in the region,” Ms. Harris said in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, her first stop on a three-country Africa trip.

☆ Kamala Harris starts Africa tour in Ghana, announces security aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Francis Kokoroko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Akufo-Addo reiterated that he was concerned about Wagner's presence in West Africa. Several countries across West Africa and the Sahel region have been struggling to quell Islamist insurgencies that have caused humanitarian disasters and fuelled discontent -- contributing factors to military coups in Mali and Burkina Faso. "We appreciate your leadership in response to recent democratic back-sliding in West Africa," Harris told Akufo-Addo. [1/5] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo during her week-long trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, in Accra, Ghana March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko 1 2 3 4 5After Ghana, Harris will head to Tanzania and Zambia.

☆ Al Qaeda Closes In on a Stalwart U.S. Ally in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Michael M. Phillips | Photographs Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BAWKU, Ghana—The good news according to Salifu Bashru , an elder of the Mamprusi people, is that if al Qaeda militants attack, they’ll probably kill his rivals from the Kusasi community first. The bitter, 65-year dispute between Mamprusi and Kusasi over which ethnic group rules this small northern Ghanaian city has turned deadly in recent months, with neighbors exchanging machine-gun fire and each side vowing never to let the other get its way.

☆ In Ghana, Kamala Harris 'excited about the future of Africa'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. Vice President, Kamala Harris, arrives at the Kotoka International Airport as she begins her trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, in Accra, Ghana, March 26, 2023. Vice President Kamala Harris was greeted by schoolchildren, dancers and drummers as she arrived Sunday in Ghana for the start of a weeklong visit to Africa intended to deepen U.S. relationships amid global competition over the continent's future. "What an honor it is to be here in Ghana and on the continent of Africa," Harris said. Harris is the highest-profile member of President Joe Biden's administration to visit Africa this year. In the evening, they will attend a state banquet with the Ghanaian president and first lady.

☆ How this 26-year-old went from running bitcoin trading desks in Taco Bells to creating the largest crypto exchange in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +28 min

Yellow Card CEO Chris Maurice just before meeting with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Accra, Ghana. Chris MauriceFrom there, Yellow Card users can send or receive digital cash in eligible markets. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Yellow Card CEO Chris Maurice in Accra, Ghana loading cash onto his Mobile Money account, MoMo. Yellow Card has facilitated $1.75 billion in transactions since launching in 2019 and has about 220 employees – mostly in Africa. A resident checks his phone outside a mobile money kiosk in the Kibera district of Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.

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