International news related to Africa
After more than eight years behind bars, Senegalese journalist and writer René Capain Bassène walked free from a Dakar prison on Wednesday evening following a presidential pardon that his supporters called a long overdue correction of a profound injustice. The moment of his release, captured in brief remarks to journalists waiting outside the prison gates, […]
A new research seminar held at the Bank of Namibia has produced one of the most blunt and politically charged diagnoses of the country’s housing crisis in recent memory: the majority of Namibians cannot afford formal housing, and this is not a market failure — it is the market working exactly as designed. The finding
One hour of heavy rain was enough to transform one of Yaoundé’s most important commercial arteries into a river of mud and debris on Wednesday, swallowing street stalls, paralysing traffic, and revealing the full extent of the administrative neglect that has left Cameroon’s capital structurally unable to manage its own rainfall. The avenue Kennedy, one
A New Face for America’s Africa Policy After months of delay and partisan wrangling, the United States Senate confirmed Frank Garcia as the new United States ambassador to Africa in May 2026, filling a position that had remained vacant for a significant period. Garcia, a veteran naval officer with extensive experience in African waters and
A Papal Visit Marked by History and Healing When Pope Francis arrived in Ghana in May 2026, he entered a country that has for decades navigated the complex legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, which departed from these shores incalculable numbers of Africans across four centuries. Ghana’s position as one of the principal departure points
A Landmark Partnership That Connects Africa to the Global Digital Economy When Vodacom M-Pesa and PayPal announced their partnership in May 2026, the headlines focused on the technical mechanics of what was being offered: Tanzanian users of M-Pesa would now be able to link their accounts to PayPal, enabling them to send and receive international
Vodacom M-Pesa and PayPal Partnership Opens Africa’s Digital Economy to the World Read More »
Waves of Violence Force Ghanaian Nationals to Flee For several hundred Ghanaian nationals living and working in South Africa, the month of May 2026 brought an abrupt and terrifying end to their lives abroad. A surge of anti-immigrant violence swept through townships and urban areas of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, targeting residents and business owners of
Xenophobic Violence Forces Hundreds of Ghanaian Nationals to Flee South Africa Read More »
A Democratic Exercise Built on Shaky Foundations When Ethiopia went to the polls in May 2026 for what authorities framed as a pivotal national election, the ambition was clear: to demonstrate that Africa’s second-most populous nation could stage a credible democratic exercise capable of restoring international confidence in its reform trajectory. The atmosphere in Addis
Ethiopia Election 2026: Democracy on Hold as Millions Cannot Cast Their Votes Read More »
