Ghana's anti-LGBTQ+ bill draws international condemnation after it is passed by parliament
A bill which criminalizes LGBTQ+ people in Ghana and their supporters has drawn international condemnation after it was passed by parliament, with the United Nations calling it “profoundly disturbing” and urging for it not to become law.
At least 15 Catholic worshippers were killed in an attack during a service in northern Burkina Faso
Catholic church officials in Burkina Faso say that at least 15 worshippers have been killed in a village when gunmen attacked a community as they gathered for prayers in the country’s conflict-hit northern region.
UN peacekeeping chief welcomes strong support for its far-flung operations despite `headwinds'
The United Nations peacekeeping chief says he was very satisfied with the strong support of many countries for its far-flung operations at a recent ministerial meeting, despite “headwinds and challenges and problems.”.
A Ghana reparations summit agrees on a global fund to compensate Africans for the slave trade
Delegates at a reparations summit in Ghana have agreed to establish a Global Reparation Fund to push for overdue compensation for millions of Africans enslaved centuries ago during the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
11 nations of West Africa commit to a military deployment to restore the ousted president of Niger
An official of the West African bloc of nations says 11 countries in the region have agreed to commit troops to a military deployment aimed at restoring Niger’s democratically elected president following last month’s coup.
Harris visits site of grandfather's old home in Zambia
Vice President Kamala Harris paused Friday during a whirlwind diplomatic swing through Africa for something much more personal: A visit to the site of her maternal grandfather’s home in Lusaka, where he lived as an Indian public servant in the 1960s.
US envoy: Africa trip isn't to compete with Russia, China
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is heading to Africa, saying she is going to focus on how the United States can help Uganda, Ghana and Cape Verde deal with the food crisis that has hit the continent particularly hard — not to compete with China and Russia.
Nigeria receives nearly 4 million vaccines from COVAX
COVID-19 vaccines are offloaded from a plane at Lagos airport, Tuesday March 2, 2021. Nigeria received vaccines acquired through the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative with a delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. With more than 150,000 Nigerians infected with the virus and over 1,800 lives lost, the path to recovery for the people of Nigeria can finally begin,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative. “This is a very significant occasion -- the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines into Nigeria is critical in curbing the pandemic. Nigeria is among 92 countries worldwide that will receive vaccines for free through the COVAX initiative.
Ivory Coast begins its vaccination campaign with COVAX doses
Youssouf Kouyate, National Police General Director, receives a shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Monday March 1, 2021. Like many African countries, Ivory Coast recently battled a resurgence of the pandemic that saw increased cases and hospitalizations. AdAs Ivory Coast's inoculation campaign begins, health authorities are encouraging people to participate in the voluntary program. “I reassure people that the vaccine in Ivory Coast is safe,” Director General of Health Mamadou Samba said Sunday on national television. “There is no doubt about the quality of the vaccines the Ivory Coast has received.
EXPLAINER: UN vaccine plan is underway, but problems remain
COVAX is supposed to make deals to buy vaccines in bulk from drug companies and can also receive donated shots from rich countries. But it has been dogged by shortages of cash and supplies as well as logistical hurdles — all while a handful of rich countries raced ahead with their vaccination campaigns. Not all countries can afford their own COVID-19 vaccines, and in past pandemics, including the 2009 swine flu pandemic, vaccines were hoarded by rich countries until the outbreak ended. He pleaded with rich countries not to strike further deals to secure additional vaccines since that might jeopardize the deals COVAX already has. The AstraZeneca doses make up the bulk of the shots COVAX has deals for and was only authorized last week.
Ghana 1st nation to receive coronavirus vaccines from COVAX
This photograph released by UNICEF Wednesday Feb. 24, 2021, shows the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines distributed by the COVAX Facility arriving at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana. Ghana has become the first country in the world to receive vaccines acquired through the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative with a delivery of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. Ghana is among 92 countries that will receive vaccines for free through the initiative, which is led by the WHO; Gavi, a vaccine group; and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Neighboring Ivory Coast will be the next to receive vaccines, and also will roll them out starting next week. Even as it celebrated receiving the first doses, Ghana noted the long road ahead.
Guinea worm closer to eradication as cases halve in a year
The U.S.-based Carter Center, which leads the eradication campaign, says just 27 cases were reported in 2020 in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa, or half the number of cases in 2019. Despite cuts to many programs worldwide, The Carter Center said its community-based program to eradicate Guinea worm remained up to 95% operational. “We’re reporting a 50% reduction in human cases, down to only 27 people in the world last year that had Guinea worm. Unlike other diseases that are controlled by medicines or vaccines, Guinea worm can be eradicated by training people to filter and drink clean water. Contracted by drinking infected water, Guinea worm disease affects some of the world’s most vulnerable people.
Ghana cops say 5 people killed in election-related violence
Electoral commission officials count the ballots after polls closed in Accra, Ghana, Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Ofoe Amegavie)ACCRA – At least five people have been killed in Ghana and a dozen injured in violence related to the presidential and legislative elections held on Monday, said police. The election has tested the West African nation’s credentials as one of the continent’s most politically stable countries. Twenty-one violent outbreaks have been identified as election-related across the West African country, Ghana’s Police Service said Wednesday. There were 12 candidates for president, with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, 76, and former president John Dramani Mahama, 62, forecast as the frontrunners.
Ghana's former president Jerry Rawlings dies at 73
FILE - In this Wednesday, July 20, 2011 file photo, the African Union envoy to Somalia, Jerry Rawlings, inspects a guard of honour of African Union peacekeepers, during a visit to displaced persons camps in southern Mogadishu, Somalia. Ghana's former president Jerry Rawlings, who staged two coups and later led the West African country's transition to a stable democracy, has died aged 73, according to the state's Radio Ghana and the president Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh, File)