Africa news roundup
July 14-20,2024
Ghana
Transport minister withdraws road regulation amendment LI
The Ministry of Transport, earlier this week, laid before Parliament a legislative instrument (L.I) seeking to amend portions of the Road Traffic Regulations 2012. The new changes sought to grant members of Parliament (MPs) and ministers of state privileges previously reserved for emergency and specialised vehicles. This amendment includes the fitting of sirens or bells as warning mechanisms on specific classes of vehicles, including those owned by justices of the Supreme Court, MPs, and ministers of state. This implies that if there is traffic congestion anywhere in Ghana, these categories of people can legally use sirens to make their way through. An amendment of Regulation 166 of LI 2180 indicates that speed limit regulations would no longer apply to MPs and ministers of state.
However, following a public backlash, the controversial LI has been withdrawn. The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah withdrew the LI on behalf of the transport minister, citing public and stakeholder concerns. He added that “the withdrawal became necessary based on extensive engagement with leadership”. He announced, “Mr. Speaker, I would like to move that the Road Traffic Amendment 2024, which was laid on Friday, June 14, be withdrawn…” Before the withdrawal of the LI, the minority in Parliament issued a press statement urging the transport minister to withdraw the LI.
Nigeria
Minimum wage now pegged at N70,000
President Bola Tinubu has approved N70,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers and promised to review the national minimum wage law every three years. This move comes after the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) met with the President at the presidential villa. In a statement on his X account, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga confirmed the development. “President Bola Tinubu has approved N70,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers with promise to review the national minimum wage law every three years. Tinubu also promised to find ways to assist the private sector and the sub-nationals to pay the minimum wage”, the statement read. Onanuga noted, further, that labour leaders had praised Tinubu’s “fatherly gesture”, and the President also vowed to exercise his executive discretion to address the outstanding four months’ salaries owed to university unions.
Addressing the press, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress Joe Ajaero explained why organised labour accepted the proposal of N70,000 minimum wage from Tinubu. According to him the unions agreed to the offer because of other incentives attached which include a review of the national minimum wage law every three years. Tinubu was said to have announced the new wage during a meeting with the leadership of organized labour. The meeting came a week after the first meeting the President had with the labour leader. The minimum wage, when approved by the National Assembly, will replace the existing minimum wage of N30,000.
Kenya
Police ban protests in the capital
Kenyan police have banned protests in Nairobi after protests in the capital which began against proposed tax hikes last month became violent and continued after the legislation was withdrawn. The protesters are now calling on President William Ruto to step down. The country has been shaken by the turn taken in what was an initially peaceful protest. As a result of the protest, Ruto has scrapped the finance bill containing the tax increases, sacked his cabinet, and promised to cut his government. Even though the violence has subsided, pockets of protests and picketing still persist. According to a statement released by the Acting Chief of Police Douglas Kanja, no protests will be permitted in the capital. “No demonstrations will be permitted in the Nairobi Central Business District and its surroundings until further notice to ensure public safety,” the statement read.
The police have cited several reasons for the ban including the infiltration of criminals which has resulted in disorderly and violent conducts. “Criminals have continued to infiltrate the protesting groups, resulting in a troubling trend of disorderly and destructive conduct”, a statement read. Prominent demonstrator Hanifa Edan posted on X earlier this month that the movement had been infiltrated by “goons”. The demonstrations have spiraled into violence leaving 50 dead and 413 injured since their start in June. Rights groups have accused police of using disproportionate force against the protesters.
South Africa
Zuma to face disciplinary actions from the ANC
Former South African President Jacob Zuma is expected to face disciplinary action from the African National Congress (ANC) party after campaigning against the organization he once led. The hearing could lead to Zuma, 82, being expelled from the ANC, which he joined in the late 1950s. Zuma was forced to step down as South African president in 2018 amid allegations of corruption and has since been embroiled in a political feud. He was replaced with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Zuma’s split with the ANC was confirmed in December when he appeared at a press conference and announced he would campaign for the recently-founded MK Party in the May 29 elections. He has been fiercely critical of Ramaphosa, even accusing him of treason. While Zuma said he would retain his ANC membership despite becoming the leader of the MK Party, the ANC suspended him in January. The ANC accused him of attacking the integrity of the party.
According to officials of Zuma’s new party, the former president wants to appear in person for his disciplinary hearing, while the ANC wants it to be held online. Zuma has been called a destabilizing figure in Africa’s most industrialized country, but his MK Party won 14 per cent of the national vote on May 29 in the first election it contested, leaving many stunned. MK’s surprising share of the vote was a prime factor in the ANC losing its majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994. The MK Party has refused to join the coalition and will become the official opposition as the third biggest party in Parliament.
Liberia
President takes pay cut
Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai has announced a forty per cent salary cut. According to statement released from his office, it is the president’s hope to set a precedent for “responsible governance” and demonstrate “solidarity” with Liberians. Over the years, government expenditure has been under intense scrutiny as Liberians complain about the rising cost of living. Earlier this year, Boakai revealed his annual salary to be $13,400. The announced pay cut now brings the annual income of the President to $8,000. The move mirrors that of his predecessor, George Weah, who took a twenty five per cent salary during his time in office. Since the announcement of the presidential salary pay cut, many have hailed the move while others argue that the cut is insignificant since the president receives benefits like a daily allowance and medical cover.
Boakai took office in January after defeating Weah in a run-off election. As part of his inaugural speech, he vowed to tackle corruption and financial mismanagement. As a step to achieving his goal, Boakai declared his assets since taking office. He also ordered an audit of the presidential office. The results have not yet been released. Boakai has also beefed up the General Auditing Commission and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission. Weah’s administration was plagued by allegations of corruption, and lavish spending, which triggered mass protests. The presidential office’s budget is almost $3m this year.
Sierra Leone
Suspended auditor general speaks up
Auditor General Lara Taylor-Pearce was suspended in November 2021 over allegations of misconduct, which she strongly denies. Taylor-Pearce believes her suspension was politically motivated and unfair. Even though a tribunal was set up by President Bio to investigate her, the focus was on procedural issues and ignored her detailed defence. Taylor-Pearce was also accused of leaking information, a charge she denies, emphasizing her commitment to confidentiality. She calls for transparency and fairness in the auditing process. She also highlights the strong oversight mechanisms within the Audit Service Sierra Leone and insists that her work has always met high professional standards.
Since her suspension, Bio has been accused of taking Sierra Leone backwards into an increasingly authoritarian state, where the president, with the support of ruling Sierra Leone People’s party (SLPP) MPs, has captured key public institutions that are vital for sustaining a viable democratic society, including the National Electoral Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Judiciary, the Police Force, Military and the Bar Association. With the passing of a new law banning the use of a jury in criminal trials, and the refusal of the electoral commission to publish the polling stations results for the 2023 presidential and general elections, many Sierra Leoneans are worried their civil liberties and democratic rights are being undermined.
Togo
Scotland and Gnassingbe in cooperation talks
The Secretary-General of Commonwealth Patricia Scotland met with Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé on July 17 in Pya, a town located 410 km north of the Togolese capital Lomé, as part of a two-day working visit to Togo. The two discussed potential cooperation between the Commonwealth and Togo, especially in the economic area. After the talks, it was announced that the Commonwealth plans to support Togo with major development projects including the Emergency Program for Resilience Building in the Savannah Region (PURS) and the Social Cohesion Project for the Northern Regions of the Gulf of Guinea (COSO). The Commonwealth will also assist Togo with diplomatic and security matters.
The Secretary-General also met with various officials, institutions, civil society, and women’s groups. Togo joined the Commonwealth in 2022 and is expected to participate in its first ever Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) set to take place in Samoa. As part of her activities, Scotland will also address the press in Togo.
Burkina Faso
Ambassador Kabre recalled by Benin Government
David Kabre, Burkina Faso’s ambassador to Benin, has been recalled by his government following a statement issued by Captain Ibrahim Traore, leader of the military junta in power, in which he accused Benin of hosting French bases intended to destabilize the region. Complaining of “baseless accusations”, Foreign Minister of Benin Olushegun Ajadi Bakari expressed his disappointment to Kabré. In a speech delivered on July 11, Captain Traoré accused both Benin and Côte d’Ivoire of hosting French bases with the aim of destabilizing his country and the region. “We have nothing against the Ivorian people. But we have something against whoever governs Ivory Coast. We say it and repeat it. In fact, there is an operations center in Abidjan to destabilize our country”, declared the captain.
In a press release published on social media, the Benin Government spokesperson promptly denied Traoré’s accusations, which he described as “nauseating disinformation” which “fuels the resentment of the populations and threatens the peaceful coexistence of peoples”. The spokesperson in turn underlined that the vast majority of thwarted attacks in Benin have indicated that the attackers are coming from neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. This is the first time the junta leader has accused Cote d’Ivoire of attacks. Traoré has explicitly accused Alassane Ouattara’s Government. The coup leader has also announced that a bill aimed at defining new legislation that protects the country’s mineral resources will be passed.
Cote d’Ivoire
New malaria vaccine roll out
Cote d’Ivoire has become the first country to roll out the new malaria vaccine with the first child vaccinated in Abidjan this week. The vaccine was co-developed by the University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India (SII) and was granted prequalification status by the World Health Organization (WHO) in December last year. The approval of the malaria vaccine follows the RTS,S vaccines. Both vaccines are expected to have a high public health impact. Although the number of malaria-related deaths has fallen from 3,222 in 2017 to 1,316 in 2020 in Côte d’Ivoire, the mosquito-borne disease kills four people a day, mostly small children, and “remains the leading cause of medical consultations”, according to the Ivorian Ministry of Health
According to the WHO, 600,000 people die of malaria in Africa every year, with children under five years of age making up at least 80 per cent of those deaths. It has been projected tha, wide implementation of the malaria vaccines with existing prevention methods, like the use of bed nets, is expected to save tens of thousands of young lives each year. So far, a total of 656,600 doses have been sent to the country, which will initially vaccinate 250,000 children. The R21/Matrix-M vaccine has also been authorised by Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic.
Senegal
Faye to mediate talks with breakaway confederation
President Bassirou Faye of Senegal was appointed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a special mediator to persuade the breakaway confederation of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to rescind their decision. At the 65th ordinary session of ECOWAS on Sunday in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, the bloc appointed the Senegalese leader to lead the mediation team in collaboration with Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe. The bloc designated Faye as the ECOWAS “facilitator in engagement with the Alliance for the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger),” the regional body said in a joint communique at the end of the summit Sunday night.
Faye was attending the ECOWAS meeting for the first time since his election as the president of the West African nation in March. The bloc’s leaders met on Sunday after three military-ruled nations of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger on Saturday signed a pact to form a coalition called the Alliance of Sahel States. They withdrew from the West African bloc in January after the regional bloc’s tough stand against coups. Originally a bloc of 15 member nations, ECOWAS now has only 12 members since the three nations broke away. The ECOWAS summit expressed “disappointment” over the lack of progress in the earlier engagement with the breakaway faction. It also ordered the bloc’s commission to “develop a contingency plan should mediation with the three countries failed.”
Cameroon
Four civilians killed in Boko Haram attacks
Four civilians were killed overnight into Tuesday, after armed militants of the terror group Boko Haram raided a civilian community in Cameroon’s Far North region, according to security and local sources. The attack took place in Sandawadjiri Village in Mayo-Sava division of the region. The militants invaded the village and opened fire, when villagers were asleep, said an army official in the region who did not wish to disclose his identity “They started shooting indiscriminately, killing four civilians and looting property”. Following the attack, troops pursued the assailants and killed two of them. “Several others escaped with bullet wounds,” the official said.
Boko Haram has been operating in the region since 2014 even though the group was formed in the early 2000s. The group is popularly known for the kidnapping of the Chibok girls which triggered the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. Despite facing several setbacks due to counterterrorism efforts by the Nigerian government, Boko Haram still controls territories in the Lake Chad Basin
Rwanda
Kagame secures fourth term victory
President Paul Kagame has won 99 per cent of the vote in provisional results from Monday’s presidential election in Rwanda, an outcome that was widely expected. Kagame’s opponents — Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana — were collectively getting under 1 per cent of the vote in provisional results accounting for 79 per cent of all ballots cast. The result mirrored the outcome in 2017, when Kagame took a bigger chunk of the votes cast. Final results are expected by July 27, although they could be announced sooner.
There were long lines at some polling stations in the capital, Kigali. Election authorities said 9.5 million Rwandans were registered to vote in the country’s population of 14 million. Sixty-six-year-old Kagame, who has held power since the end of the country’s genocide in 1994, was running virtually unopposed. Two of his stronger critics were blocked from running for office. Kagame has led the East African country and ended the genocide. He was vice president and de facto leader between 1994 and 2000, when he became president. He has been condemned by many as a violent authoritarian but praised by others for presiding over impressive growth in the three decades since the genocide.
