DAVID EHL Sixty-five years ago, 14 African countries gained independence from France. DW examines how they have developed since then — and how much influence the former colonial power still wields today. “Sixty-five is a ripe age” – that is how Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara congratulated his country on 65 years of independence. “It’s […]
Sep 11 2025 | Posted in
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ANDREW WASIKE From Ghana’s deadly crash to Kenya’s mid-air tragedies, experts say that negligence, weak oversight and climate chaos are putting more and more air passengers at risk. Above all, however, there’s the human element. In recent months, Africa’s skies have been under intense scrutiny as a series of fatal crashes have raised questions over […]
Aug 24 2025 | Posted in
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PRIVILEGE MUSVANHIRI The deaths of former presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Edgar Lungu in foreign medical facilities have again sparked debate on whether African leaders trust their countries’ health care systems. Choosing where to seek medical help is a deeply private decision. But the numerous occasions African leaders have sought treatment abroad have thrown the spotlight […]
Aug 12 2025 | Posted in
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KATE BARTLETT Crowds of women, bundled up in wooly hats and mittens against the sharp winter chill, wait every morning at the gates of a garment factory in Lesotho’s capital, hoping that a few among them will be called in to work a shift. But no-one comes out and the factory gates – which bear […]
Jul 27 2025 | Posted in
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Duncan Miriri PAPSS payment system allows trade settlement in local currencies Experts say move aims of lowering trade costs South Africa using G20 presidency to advance local payments US President Trump warns against de-dollarization efforts Africa’s push for local currency payments systems – once little more than an aspiration – is […]
Jun 24 2025 | Posted in
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MEHDI JOMAA & OBIAGELI “OBY” EZEKWESILI Digital transformation can be the engine of responsible and democratic development in Africa, but only if leadership, investment, and decision-making are rooted in the continent itself. As political, financial and social leaders met on 27 May 2025 in Abidjan, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, for the Annual Meetings of the […]
Jun 13 2025 | Posted in
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JP FABRI The Global Report on Food Crises 2025 (GRFC) is a sobering indictment of the world’s failure to address the roots of hunger–nowhere more so than in Africa. Despite repeated pledges and billions in aid, the continent remains the global epicenter of food insecurity, with countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Eswatini once again among […]
May 26 2025 | Posted in
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Years of symbolic bans by traditional chiefs have done nothing to curb the harmful practice. DOUNARD BONDO In 2022, the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia (NACCEL) announced a three-year moratorium on female genital mutilation (FGM). A year later, the council made another proclamation to ban FGM and then held ceremonies to end […]
Apr 22 2025 | Posted in
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The organization is often dismissed as a talking shop. Reparations are one issue where talking is exactly what is needed. MOHAMMED IDRIS As a new secretary-general assumes leadership of the Commonwealth, it seems de rigueur in some circles to dismiss the organization as a relic of a bygone era. To speak of it with any […]
Apr 11 2025 | Posted in
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ADAM EIHIRAIKA African countries should join hands to make the most of their own resources and build a formidable electric vehicle ecosystem that could help fast-track realization of SDGs. Africa has both the opportunity and the imperative to harness its vast resources for sustainable development. With the support from the United Nations Economic Commission for […]
Mar 26 2025 | Posted in
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