Eye on Africa

The South African government turned away from this vaccine in early February following the findings of a small local study. She pointed out an ineffectiveness of moderate forms of the disease due to the South African variant. The government, which had spent almost seven million euros on acquiring these doses, did not want to waste them at any cost.…

Work is likely to be severely disrupted this Monday, March 22, in the tax, customs and Gabonese public treasuries. "No money, no work," the Association of Financial Authorities Collectors (Fecorefi) decided this Friday, March 19th. They demand payment of the budget performance bonus that the government refuses to pay because, he says, the performance of these agents has been below expectations. The tax…

Africa accounts for almost 9% of the world's freshwater resources, according to a UN report, but the situation is gloomy for millions on the continent on World Water Day, which is marked on Monday. Building water wells is the fastest way to deal with water scarcity problems, even if it is temporary, and Turkish charities boast of leading efforts to this end. From the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) to doctors around the world, charities facilitate access to water for poor communities on the continent.…

The election of Mohamed Bazoum to the Nigerian presidency was validated on Sunday, March 21, by the Constitutional Court. The PNDS candidate won by just over ten points ahead of his opponent, Mahamane Ousmane: 55.66% of the vote against 44.34% for his rival. Mahamadou Issoufou's successor is therefore elected for five years.…

Two benchmarks indicate a decline in democracy around the world by 2020. In Africa, the 10 most democratic countries no longer include Benin, but include Malawi. "A struggle without leaders for democracy," is the unpleasant headline in Freedom House's latest annual report. This American and independent think tank measures the…

Officials and religious leaders are mobilizing to encourage the population to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The most populous country in Africa received nearly 4 million doses of this vaccine as part of the Covax unit in early March. Many vaccination centers have opened their doors in major cities across the country for people over the age of 70 and particularly vulnerable occupations. Despite a few disagreements, Nigerian politicians continue to promote vaccination against Covid-19, and religious authorities have an…

March 22 is World Water Day. Some experts predicted that the wars of the future would be wars over water. In the Horn of Africa, we are not yet talking about armed conflict, but the tone continues to rise between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. The waters of the Nile are at stake, which is at the center of an intense diplomatic struggle as Ethiopia completes the construction of its renaissance dam, the largest of its future in Africa. And she is determined not to be intimidated by Sudan and Egypt. Ethiopia will complete the…

Ocean Viking, the boat from the SOS Mediterranean organization, is conducting a new rescue campaign in the central Mediterranean. At sea, the ship rescued 796 people from Libya to Europe in January and February. RFI embarks on this mission. Every day we receive the logbook from our special correspondent. "Please play a game with me," Amias asks me. The 9-year-old boy points to two painted boards on the floor. Wooden puck acts as pawns. Amias has been aboard the Ocean Viking for three days: he has already had the…

It is again authorized to make music, songs and dances in the liquor companies under a decree of the Governor of Dakar from 20 March. Activities that had been suspended for several months to combat the spread of coronavirus. The state of health disaster in Dakar and Thiès had already ended on Friday 19 March at midnight, with the majority of Covid-19 cases concentrated. Senegal has passed the 1,000-related death mark and 37,833 positive cases of the coronavirus pandemic. The tables at this Corniche des Almadies…

The civilian authorities is making an attempt to regain management. Sudan is in the process of reforming its defense industry. At the very least, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, who has announced that the government will take back control of a group of companies owned by the army, hopes so. The Société de l'Industrie Militaire, one of the largest companies in the defense sector, will be separated into two units, a military and a civilian, where the Ministry of Economy and Finance will regain control through a private…