AFRICA

SoNA 2021: More health workers to be recruited – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo says his government will recruit more health workers in his second term to help improve Ghana’s healthcare delivery services following the devastating impact of COVID-19 across the globe. Delivering his first State of the Nation address in Parliament on Tuesday, 9 March 2021, Nana Akufo-Addo noted that his …

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Niger president wins $5 million Mo Ibrahim African leadership prize

Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou has won this year’s $5m Ibrahim prize for Achievement in African Leadership for his work in promoting economic progress and joining regional efforts to quell the threat of Islamist militants. Issoufou was first elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2016. He stepped down after serving two …

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Senegal: Opposition leader released, more protest in the offing

The opposition leader in Senegal, Ousmane Sonko, whose arrest has sparked nationwide violent protest was released on Monday, March 8, 2021, but under judicial supervision according to his lawyers. Sonko was arrested and charged with rape which he denies and describes as politically motivated. He appeared in court on Monday, …

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Stop punishing children for speaking vernacular in school

The Dean at the Faculty of Ghanaian Languages of the University of Education Winneba, Professor Charles Owu-Ewie says it is unjust to prohibit children from speaking vernacular in schools. Speaking at a virtual symposium on the role of the mother tongue in improving literacy in Ghana on 3fm 92.7, the …

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Reopening for SHS 1 students postponed to 18 March

First-year Senior High School (SHS) students across the country are expected to report to school from Thursday, 18 March to Sunday, 21 March 2021 the Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced. First-year SHS students across the country were initially scheduled to report to school on Wednesday, 10 March 2021. However, …

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Senegal shuts schools amid violent unrest

Schools in Senegal will shut until March 15, the education ministry said on Sunday, after days of violent protests that have paralysed parts of the capital Dakar and are expected to continue next week. At least five people have died in demonstrations sparked by the arrest on Wednesday of Ousmane …

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Huge explosions rock Equatorial Guinea’s main city

At least 20 people have died and hundreds more have been injured in a series of explosions in Equatorial Guinea, local media report. Around 300 people were injured following the blasts, which happened near a military barracks in the main city of Bata on Sunday. Images on social media showed …

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COVID-19 kills fewer African women than men – WHO study

Women in Africa are less likely to die from Covid-19 than men, but more likely to succumb to maternal complications due to limited access to reproductive services since the pandemic started, the UN said Thursday citing reports. A study of 28 African countries including Guinea, Mauritius and Uganda showed that …

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Fire engulfs Alice Magistrate’s Court building in the Eastern Cape

A fire engulfed the Alice Magistrate’s courthouse in the Eastern Cape.   The Alice Magistrate’s courthouse in the Eastern Cape has been gutted, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development announced on Saturday. “Most parts of the district court burned down, with the exception of the regional court, which is …

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Registration of private candidates for BECE begins

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has opened registration for the 2021 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for private junior high school candidates. According to WAEC, first-time candidates as well as those seeking to improve on their grades had up to March 19, 2021, to register for the examination which …

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Two men drown at Port Elizabeth beach

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has warned the public to exercise caution at beaches after two men drowned in Port Elizabeth this week. In a statement on Saturday, NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the incident happened on Tuesday. He said the NSRI, Nelson Mandela Bay municipal lifeguards, Coastal Water …

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Senegal protests after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko arrested

Large protests have hit Senegal for a third day as demonstrators burnt cars and clashed with police after the arrest of an opposition leader on Wednesday. Ousmane Sonko appeared in court on Friday accused of disrupting public order. He also faces a rape allegation. He denies the allegations and his …

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SA marks one year of COVID-19 pandemic

Today marks exactly a year to the day that South Africa confirmed its first COVID-19 case. On 5 March 2020, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, announced the news of a 38-year-old COVID-19 patient from KwaZulu-Natal. The man tested positive after a ski trip in Italy with his wife and eight …

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Young and dangerous crocodiles on the loose in South Africa

An unknown number of young and dangerous crocodiles escaped from a breeding farm in South Africa’s Western Cape province, authorities said on Thursday. Police have set up a special unit to track down the Nile crocodiles, which measure between 1.2 and 1.5 meters in length, said CapeNature, the region’s environmental …

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Noguchi dismisses allegation on falsification of Covid-19 test results

A five-member committee, set up by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) in consultation with the University of Ghana, has dismissed claims that the Institute engaged in the falsification of Covid-19 test results. The Noguchi Institute, in a press release dated Wednesday, March 3, has disclosed that investigations …

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