AFP Africa

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday said a multi-billion-dollar mega-dam on the Blue Nile that has long worried neighbouring countries is complete and will be officially inaugurated in September.The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), launched in 2011 with a $4-billion budget, is considered Africa’s largest hydroelectric project, stretching 1.8 kilometres (just over one mile) …

Ethiopia’s mega dam on the Nile ‘now complete’: PMThu, 03 Jul 2025 09:50:20 GMT Read More »

With South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir undergoing medical tests abroad after years of rumours about his health, analysts say a long-gestating plan has been set in motion to secure his succession.Kiir returned from at least 10 days in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, with state media saying he had been “exploring new avenues for …

Ailing S.Sudan president prepares volatile successionThu, 03 Jul 2025 06:03:06 GMT Read More »

On the drought-stricken plains of Morocco’s Chtouka region, cherry tomato farms stretch as far as the eye can see, clinging to life through a single, environmentally contentious lifeline: desalination.”We wouldn’t be here without it,” said Abir Lemseffer, who manages production for the tomato giant Azura.Severe drought driven by climate change has gripped the North African …

Drought-hit Morocco turns to desalination to save vegetable bountyThu, 03 Jul 2025 03:14:34 GMT Read More »

Rwanda’s army played a “critical” role alongside the M23 armed group in an offensive in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo early this year that culminated in the capture of two key cities, UN experts say.Rwanda denies providing military support for the M23, but UN experts have long said that the neighbouring country backs the armed …

Rwandan army had ‘critical’ role in DR Congo offensive: UN expertsWed, 02 Jul 2025 18:03:31 GMT Read More »

As cuts by rich donors decimate aid budgets for the world’s most vulnerable, private financing has been touted as the sector’s saviour — but not everyone is convinced.The United Nations puts the annual funding deficit for aid at more than $4 trillion, with chilling consequences for health, education and humanitarian programmes in the poorest countries.The …

Public or private? Funding debate splits reeling aid sectorWed, 02 Jul 2025 11:38:00 GMT Read More »

In a small home in Uganda’s capital, Jane Mwesige, a nurse with a hospice that has transformed African end-of-life care, breaks into a gospel song about surrendering to God, a favourite of her patient Jonathan Luzige.These home visits, combining affordable medical care and spiritual support, are part of Mwesige’s routine with Hospice Africa Uganda.Founded in …

Legacy of Uganda’s end-of-life ‘grandmother’ lives onWed, 02 Jul 2025 06:05:02 GMT Read More »

In the 1997 action film “Dante’s Peak”, Pierce Brosnan plays the role of a volcanologist sent to investigate seismic activity beneath a long-dormant volcano. Years after its release, the story inspired South African Tebogo Makhubela to become a geologist, the 35-year-old told AFP in an interview. Recipient of one of the prestigious National Geographic 2025 Wayfinder Awards, …

The geologist uncovering Earth’s secrets in S.AfricaWed, 02 Jul 2025 06:00:20 GMT Read More »

A Zimbabwean court rejected Tuesday a bid by an opposition party to block government-called hearings into a 1980s massacre of thousands of people by elite troops during former president Robert Mugabe’s long and repressive rule.The court challenge to call off the process was led by a son of the late Joshua Nkomo, Mugabe’s bitter rival …

Zimbabwe party loses bid to block Mugabe-era massacre hearingsTue, 01 Jul 2025 17:25:40 GMT Read More »

The US foreign aid agency formally closed down Tuesday, with President Donald Trump’s administration trumpeting the end of the “charity-based model” despite predictions that millions of lives will be lost.Founded in 1961 as John F. Kennedy sought to leverage aid to win over the developing world in the Cold War, the US Agency for International …

Rubio hails end of USAID as Bush, Obama deplore cost in livesTue, 01 Jul 2025 17:22:14 GMT Read More »

The African Development Bank on Tuesday approved a $139 million loan to South Africa’s financial capital to upgrade its utilities, marking its first direct lending to a sub-sovereign entity. Johannesburg is home to Africa’s richest square mile but certain areas have fallen into disrepair, with the city coming under fire from President Cyril Ramaphosa as it …

African Development Bank gives $139 mln loan to JohannesburgTue, 01 Jul 2025 17:15:49 GMT Read More »