Economy

Hanna Tetteh, head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, warned that momentum toward national elections and the creation of unified institutions is faltering, and that the public’s patience is being tested by sluggish progress. She cautioned that some key actors are ignoring the "expectations of the public" about their role in the political process, undermining hopes for timely reform. “There are both national and regional risks to any continued inaction and foot dragging on the implementation of the roadmap and we believe it…

Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has lodged a formal protest with his South African counterpart after widely shared videos purportedly showing xenophobic assaults on Ghanaian nationals sparked outrage online. Calling the footage “extremely disturbing,” Ablakwa pressed South African authorities to act swiftly. “The South African Foreign Minister has expressed empathy with the victims and promised full-scale investigations into these depressing incidents,” Ablakwa said on social media. He added that…

Thursday April 23, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday opened the new headquarters of the Ministry of Ports and Maritime Transport, placing fresh emphasis on the government’s push to turn the maritime sector into a pillar of economic growth. Addressing the ceremony in Mogadishu, the president said the federal government is giving priority to upgrading ports, reinforcing maritime security and safeguarding marine resources as part of a broader effort to support long-term national…

A last-minute diplomatic tussle has grounded Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s planned trip to Eswatini, with Taipei accusing Beijing of leaning on other nations to deny overflight permissions—an action it condemned as a breach of international norms and a risk to aviation safety. Taiwan said Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar withdrew Lai’s flight clearances under “intense pressure” and economic coercion from China. Beijing rejected the coercion claim and instead lauded the three Indian Ocean countries, saying it held…

In a move that escalates a bitter political standoff, the Zambian government says it has taken custody of former president Edgar Lungu’s body—10 months after his death in South Africa—despite the family’s objections. The clash revives a long-running feud between Lungu and his successor, Hakainde Hichilema. The family has responded by filing an urgent application in a South African high court, seeking an order to return the former president’s body to the funeral home where it was originally kept.

Before a crowd estimated at about 100,000, Pope Leo XIV delivered a pointed message at a national service attended by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the country’s leader and the world’s long-serving president. Leo called on citizens to work together to forge a society “capable of engendering a new sense of justice,” one with “greater room for freedom” where “the dignity of the human person always may be safeguarded.” He also addressed the nation’s troubling record on human rights and the stark imbalance in how the oil-rich…

The Office for the Establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court (OWEC) has raised serious concerns over the deliberate obstruction of its mission by high-ranking government officials. This body, dedicated to creating a judicial framework aimed at holding civil war perpetrators accountable, claims that its efforts are being stifled at a critical juncture. OWEC Executive Director Jallah A. Barbu highlighted the nature of the interference, describing it as a phenomenon surpassing mere bureaucratic hurdles. "What we are…

Washington is weighing a plan to move roughly 1,100 Afghan evacuees from a former U.S. base in Qatar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to AfghanEvac, an advocacy coalition. The evacuees—interpreters, former Afghan commandos, and relatives of personnel tied to the United States—were airlifted out after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. AfghanEvac has sharply criticized the idea, alleging that U.S. officials intend to steer the group back toward Taliban-ruled Afghanistan by trying to "manufacture a…

In a strategic shift within the Federal Executive Council, President Bola Tinubu has announced a minor Cabinet reshuffle that will impact key economic and housing roles. As part of this reorganization, Tinubu has removed Wale Edun from his position as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, alongside Ahmed Dangiwa, who has stepped down as Minister of Housing and Urban Development. Edun will transition his responsibilities to Taiwo Oyedele, who previously held the role of Minister of State in the…

Former President of Senegal, Macky Sall, has asserted that achieving lasting global peace hinges on addressing the persistent issues of poverty, inequality, and social exclusion. As he positions himself as a contender to replace UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Sall's insights come just ahead of a public inquiry at the United Nations headquarters in New York this week. Introduced in 2016, the public Q&A format aims to foster transparency during the selection process. Nonetheless, the final authority to appoint the…