Africa news roundup 19-25 March
GHANA
Sixty ministers can run a country – John Mahama
Former president, John Mahama, has insisted that the country can be governed with 60 ministers and deputies. He said this will ensure the efficient use of the country’s limited resources for the betterment of all Ghanaians if given the nod to rule the country again come 2025. According to Mahama, this would also curb the disparities in privileges enjoyed by political officeholders and citizens. The 2024 presidential hopeful for opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) said a small government size will be a part of amendments that he will make to the 1992 Constitution, should he return to office. “We plan to take up and conclude the constitution review process that started under President John Evans Atta Mills. The reforms will include a review of the controversial Article 71…. I still believe that in this crisis period, Ghana can be managed with not more than 60 ministers”.
The former president made these statements during a programme organised on Wednesday 22 March on the theme “Financing political campaigns in Ghana we want: A case for more transparent and broad-based citizen participation”. Mahama had earlier announced that if elected president in the 2024 general elections, “I shall assemble and operate the leanest but most efficient government under our fourth republic. We will reduce, significantly, the size of the government…. As I announced in my Ghana We Want address at the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) late last year, I will form a government of less than sixty (60) ministers and deputy ministers of state”.
Nigeria
Nigerian senator found guilty of organ harvesting
Nigerian Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife and a medical middleman were found guilty of trafficking a man to the United Kingdom to provide a kidney on Thursday 23 March 2023. Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and Nigerian doctor Obinna Obeta, 51, were convicted in a British court of conspiring to exploit the man from Lagos. “This was a horrific plot to exploit a vulnerable victim by trafficking him to the UK for the purpose of transplanting his kidney”, said Chief Crown Prosecutor Joanne Jakymec. “The convicted defendants showed utter disregard for the victim’s welfare, health and wellbeing and used their considerable influence to a high degree of control throughout, with the victim having limited understanding of what was really going on here.” The couple’s daughter, Sonia, was found not guilty.
The metropolitan police said that it was the first time someone had been convicted in Britain of human trafficking for the purpose of organ harvesting, “This conviction sends out a clear message across the world, the UK will not tolerate the international industry in illegal organ removal”, Detective Inspector Esther Richardson, from the Met’s Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation Team, said. Ekweremadu, a former Nigerian deputy senate president, is from the southeastern state of Enugu. He twice lost his bid to be governor of the state on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, losing at the primaries. The second attempt happened only a month before his arrest in the UK. The trio will be sentenced at the same court on 5 May.
South Africa
Ramaphosa welcomes Belgium mornachs to Pretoria
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilda to the capital Pretoria on 23 March 2023. Ramaphosa lauded the European country for its assistance to Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Ramaphosa emphasized the role played by Belgium in backing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) mRNA technology transfer hub initiative established in South Africa to improve Africa’s access to vaccines and therapeutics. “I wish to express our appreciation to the Kingdom of Belgium for its role in the global fight against COVID-19. Belgium is an important donor to the vaccine alliance GAVI, for the operation of COVAX, the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access initiative”, said Ramaphosa at a press briefing on Thursday.
The two leaders planned to discuss the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ramaphosa emphasized that South Africa supported a peaceful solution to the war and had not publicly criticized Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. “We look forward to sharing our perspectives on the conflict during our meeting, and to learn more about Belgium’s stance. It is also important to consider the impact of the conflict on the international economy, especially with regards to global food and energy security”, Ramaphosa said ahead of meeting. Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said Belgium understands South Africa’s stance on the war in Ukraine and urged the country to use its “channels of communications to advance on a path toward peace. I think this is the major foreign policy issue for Europe and it will likely remain so, I’m afraid, for the next months. We are fully committed to help Ukraine defend itself. We see this as essential to defend European security but also the UN Charter’s principle,” said Lahbib. “We have always looked up to South Africa as a key partner for peace and the defence of human rights and basic international principles”, he added. The Belgian monarchs are expected to engage with South Africa’s business, academic and civil society in Johannesburg and Cape Town over the next few days and visit historical and cultural sites.
Kenya
Ukraine donates to end starvation
As part of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s ‘Grain from Ukraine’ humanitarian programme, Kenya has received tens of thousands of metric tonnes of wheat to help combat a drought that is threatening the livelihoods of millions of Kenyans. The programme has delivered more than 140,000 tonnes of wheat to needy African nations since November 2022. Accompanied by various dignitaries, Kenya’s deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, received the shipment on Monday in Mombasa. The donation was financed by several countries including Norway, Belgium, Italy, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. The UN’s World Food Programme has also supported the delivery.
After receiving the shipment, Gachagua thanked all those involved and paid particular tribute to Ukraine. “Allow me to acknowledge in a very special way Ambassador (Pravednyk) Andrii and the great people of Ukraine, a country of gallant, resilient and industrious farmers who have stood against all odds of war to feed the world, Kenya included,” he said. He described the shipment as a “shot in the arm” to help the 5.4 million Kenyans facing starvation.
Liberia
African Development Fund grant to modernise payments infrastructure and systems
The African Development Fund’s Board of Directors approved a $3.9 million grant to finance the upgrade of Liberia’s payments infrastructure and systems project. The approval of the grant from the Bank’s concessional lending window, was made on 17 March. The project’s primary objective is to strengthen the payments ecosystem in Liberia for increased efficiency and to foster growth and innovation. It targets the automated cheque processing and automated clearing house (ACP/ACH) and real-time gross settlement (RTGS) systems, which form the backbone of payments processing in the country’s financial sector.
The project will also involve the upgrade of the Central Bank of Liberia’s main data centre and disaster recovery sites and is expected to impact the institution and government ministries involved in payments. Other beneficiaries include commercial banks and their customers, all of whom will experience improved services and turnaround times, real time processing and online administrative access. The project will also contribute to increased inclusion and fostering of regional integration through technological upgrade to required standards.
Uganda
Bill against identifying as Gay passed
On Tuesday 21 March 2023, Ugandan lawmakers approved some of the world’s harshest anti-gay laws, making some crimes punishable by death and imposing up to 20 years in prison for people identifying as LGBTQ+. The new legislation constitutes a further crackdown on LGBTQ+ people in a country where same-sex relations were already illegal and punishable by life imprisonment. It targets an array of activities and includes a ban on promoting and abetting homosexuality as well as conspiracy to engage in homosexuality. According to the bill, the death penalty can be invoked for cases involving “aggravated homosexuality” – a broad term used in the legislation to describe sex acts committed without consent or under duress, against children, people with mental or physical disabilities, by a “serial offender,” or involving incest.
However, lawmaker Fox Odoi-Oywelowo spoke out against the bill, saying it “contravenes established international and regional human rights standards” as it “unfairly limits the fundamental rights of LGBTQ+ persons”. Ugandan LGBT advocate Frank Mugisha told Reuters that the law could lead to mass arrests of LGBTQ people and mob violence against them, leaving people scared of being their true self. “The last time the legislation was around, there were cases of suicide so, this time, this law is worse than the one that was here before because it has a death penalty and many people would be worried, many people would be scared”, he said. “We will go to all courts in Uganda. If need be, we will go to the international court as well but, we definitely have to go to court and challenge this law”, added Mugisha. Rights advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned earlier this month that the law would violate Ugandans’ rights.
Togo
Canadian business delegation explore opportunities in the mining, energy, and port sectors
A delegation of Canadian business people is currently in Togo, exploring opportunities in the West African country has to offer. The visit falls under the “Promoting the Togo destination” initiative carried out by Togolese authorities. Most of the Canadian business moguls are from the New Brunswick province. They were led by Gaëtan Thomas, president and general manager of the Economic Council of the said province. As part of the visit, they visited the IFAD-Building in Adidogomé, the Industrial Platform of Adétikopé (PIA), and the Autonomous Port of Lomé (PAL).
After meeting with Togolese government officials, local employers’ associations, and actors of the private sector, the Canadians announced upcoming investments in Togo’s port, mining, environment, and energy sectors. The investments are expected to bolster the relationship between Togo and Canada. According to data from the Canadian government, bilateral trade between both nations was valued at about $65.2 million in 2021. That year, Canada exported $51.5 million worth of goods to Togo and imported $13.8 million worth of goods from the African country.
Burkina Faso
Fourteen members of security forces killed in terror attack
Four soldiers and 10 volunteers with the military were killed on Wednesday in northern Burkina Faso, in a terrorist attack that coincided with a visit by the country’s military leader in the same centre-north region, a security source said Thursday. The attack on Wednesday in Zorkoum, near the city of Kaya, targeted a unit of soldiers and members of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), the source said. “We have sadly lost four soldiers and 10 volunteers. On the enemy’s side, around 20 soldiers were neutralised”, the source said. Another security source said “several” members of the security forces were killed, while a local official confirmed the attack but did not give a toll. The unit in Zorkoum had been tasked with providing security for workers fixing the water supplies for Kaya, around 10 kilometres away, which have come under frequent attack, the local source said.
Junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore had arrived in Kaya early Wednesday for a 48-hour visit. He visited the site of the attack hours later to “pay tribute to the bravery of the forces, who repelled the attack and inflicted enormous casualties”, a senior security official said. However, the government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday’s attack. Burkina Faso is battling a terrorist insurgency that spilled over from neighbouring Mali in 2015. Insurgents in the country’s north and east have mined roads, besieged towns, wrecked water facilities and undermined efforts to deliver food and supplies to trapped civilians. More than 10,000 civilians, troops and police have been killed, according to one NGO estimate, and at least two million people have been displaced.
Ivory Coast
Hundreds deported after Tunisia racism row
Almost 300 Ivorians were repatriated on Thursday from Tunisia, where migrants say they no longer feel safe after President Kais Saied said they represented a demographic threat. The ambassador of Ivory Coast in Tunis, Ibrahim Sy Savane, said 287 people including 21 toddlers were flown back to Abidjan on a jumbo jet chartered from Ethiopian Airlines. So far 1,053 Ivorians have been repatriated from Tunisia since chartered flights began in early March, Savane told AFP. On 21 February, Saied accused immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa of causing a wave of “violence and crime”, saying they aimed to “change the demographic composition” of Tunisia and separate it from the Islamic and Arab worlds.
Days after Saied’s speech, migrants reported an upsurge in racist attacks and many were evicted into the streets by landlords fearing large fines or prison for housing them. Those who worked informally in construction and other sectors also lost their jobs, and thousands rushed to their embassies to be repatriated. Just under 3,000 Ivorians have registered with the embassy for repatriation, Savane said. Ivorians are able to enter Tunisia without a visa, and approximately 7,000 were in Tunisia. While some migrants come to study, many use Tunisia as a springboard for attempts to reach Europe by sea. European governments have pressured Tunis to rein in the flow.
Senegal
Macky Sall calls for calm as protests intensifies
President Macky Sall asked the government on Wednesday to take measures to “preserve public order” after protests over the trial of opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, left at least one person dead. Violence has flared in several cities since Sonko’s defamation trial opened on March 16, a case that could make him ineligible to contest next year’s presidential elections. A man was killed on Tuesday during clashes between Sonko’s supporters and police, according to local officials. Sall said the government should “take all appropriate measures to ensure the absolute security of goods and people”, according to an official statement.
Sonko is being tried for allegedly defaming Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang, a member of President Sall’s party. The opposition leader has been receiving medical treatment since he was allegedly sprayed with tear gas and manhandled last week as authorities escorted him to a courthouse. A hearing in Sonko’s trial has been postponed to 30 March.
Cameroon
Torrential rain claims two lives
At least two people have been killed after torrential rains triggered flash floods in Buea, the chief town in Cameroon’s southwest region, local authorities reported on Sunday. According to David Mafani Namange, mayor of Buea council, the flood was triggered by several hours of heavy rains on Saturday and carried away cars and debris inundating the basement and ground floors of some buildings, turning roads into rivers. At least 10 people were receiving treatment in hospitals in the town after sustaining injuries from the disaster.
“The flood caused my store to collapse on me. I was covered in the mud and water and it’s only through a miracle that I struggled to come out of there alive”, Esther Doru, who was receiving treatment in hospital, told Xinhua. Namange however said the council will take appropriate measures to avoid future flood which is primarily caused by poor construction of houses. “The natural waterway is too small because of haphazard construction. People just build houses on the waterway, and this is one of the major causes of the tragedy”, Namange said.
Rwanda
Threats of possible genocide in DR Congo
Minister of Foreign Affairs Vincent Biruta has said that some international actors are adamant and refused to recognise the genocide against Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese in eastern DR Congo, despite several reports and evidence highlighting the facts. While addressing members of the National Consultative Forum of Political Organizations on Thursday 23 March Biruta said, “Recognising Genocide goes hand in hand with the responsibility to prevent it from happening. The reason some international actors are hesitant about recognising a Genocide being planned in DR Congo is because it comes with a responsibility to intervene and stop it. They are dodging that responsibility, but we keep reminding them.”
However, a panel of United Nations experts released a report in December 2022 that found widespread evidence that Rwanda was supporting the M23 rebels and sending its own troops over the border. The rebel group is accused of conducting widespread atrocities, including the arbitrary slaughter of civilians and mass rape. The DRC, the European Union and the United States also blame Rwanda for supporting the insurgency. Congo’s government has repeatedly condemned hateful speech and violence against ethnic communities. However, most offences targeting ethnic groups in North Kivu have not been investigated nor led to any prosecution.
