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The Zambian government has declared 21 days of national mourning for that country’s first president Kenneth Kaunda, who died at the age of 97 yesterday at Maina Soko Medical Centre in Lusaka, Zambia. In a statement confirming the nationalist’s demise, Zambia’s Secretary to the Cabinet Simon Miti said entertainment activities would be suspended while the …
The post 21 days of national mourning for Kenneth Kaunda appeared first on The Times Group Malawi.
Announcement of the death of former President Rawlings pic.twitter.com/7ext0fp4sd
— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) November 12, 2020
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Malawians have mourned the death former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda whose father hailed from Malawi. Kaunda died yesterday at a hospital in Lusaka. The 97-year-old was president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. Former President Peter Mutharika said in a Facebook post that Kaunda is a hero who fought very hard for the liberation of […]
The post Malawians mourn Kenneth Kaunda appeared first on Malawi 24.
As China tightens its belt economically in response to the coronavirus, African leaders are anxious about the future of infrastructure projects, trade and, in some cases, are requesting debt relief.
But COVID-19 has taken a toll on the world economy, harming African countries’ ability to repay debt and decreasing China’s willingness to invest abroad.
That, first of all, given the massive amount of debt that the African countries owe China, whether it is financially feasible for China to forgive those debts is a key question here.”
“It doesn't mean that China will not engage in, for example, debt renegotiation or debt restructuring or even postponement to owe for a longer grace period for the African countries to pay back their debt.
Observers worry that as debt mounts, projects will go unfinished, or Chinese lenders will take control of African infrastructure in lieu of repayment.
Sierra Leone Telegraph: 18 June 2021: Zambia’s founding president, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda has died, his family confirmed yesterday Thursday 17th June 2021. He was aged 97. Kaunda was hospitalised on Monday in Lusaka, the capital suffering from pneumonia. The family denied he had Covid-19. Dr. Kaunda, fondly known as KK, was a strong supporter of…
African leaders have lauded the launch of the continent's first medical supplies platform as the \"jewel in the crown of Pan-African cooperation\".
LIVE | All the latest coronavirus and lockdown updates
On Thursday, African Union (AU) chairperson President Cyril Ramaphosa, AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki and the director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Dr John Nkengasong held a media briefing, giving an update on the platform.
Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa, who was appointed as the AU special envoy leading global mobilisation of medical test kits and protective equipment for the continent this month, gave a brief presentation of how the Africa medical supplies platform would operate.
Vera Songwe, the executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said the platform was initially developed to assist with maternal and childcare in a bid to connect mothers to women pharmaceutical producers on the continent as big pharmaceutical companies refuse to deliver to small islands with ports that are seen as too small.
The Africa CDC director said the organisation regularly engaged with African countries seeking data on the spread of the pandemic, and the approach was to emphasise cooperation and the sharing of information in a timely fashion.
Sierra Leone Telegraph: 01 June 2021: The IMF Executive Board has approved an immediate disbursement of about US$ 14.4 million to The Gambia to help meet the country’s financing needs and support the post-pandemic recovery. According to the IMF, “The authorities deserve praise for the strong performance under the IMF-supported program and their ability to…
As Africa braces itself for the peak in COVID-19 cases, the continent is launching the Africa Medical Supplies Platform, an innovative marketplace to enable all African governments to access critical supplies, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday.
While the continent is scrambling to get supplies, many African countries buy goods with resources largely obtained from multilateral agencies, President Cyril Ramaphosa noted.
President Ramaphosa was speaking in his capacity as the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) during a virtual Extraordinary China-Africa Solidarity Summit against COVID-19, co-hosted by the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the AU.
\"The economic global economic downturn has dealt a severe blow to the African continent, as it has the rest of the world,\" President Ramaphosa acknowledged.
The President has also expressed gratitude on behalf of Africans to China's President Xi Jinping, and the government and his people for their generous donation of personal protective equipment and other medical assistance that has been provided to our continent.
- Chakwera (r) with Obasanjo and Mills showing 'Democracy Works' Malawi vice president Saulos Chilima (r) is seen here with Obasanjo and Lesotho's Finance Minister Dr Morketsi Majoro at the Olusegun Obasanjo library in Nigeria
We failed the people of Malawi when Africa, through its observers, gave the election of 21 May 2019 its blessing.
The African Union election observer mission reported that \"the elections took place in a peaceful, transparent and orderly manner, and thus met national, regional, continental and international standards for democratic elections... \".
Fortunately, the people of Malawi were saved by their courageous Constitutional Court which declared in a unanimous judgment the election null and void and ordered that a new election be held in free and fair circumstances that would guarantee a democratic outcome that would reflect the will of the people.
The legitimacy and success of Malawi's election is essential if we are to strengthen the movement towards democracy and legitimate governance on the African continent.
We should start by making sure that the Malawian election is free, fair and the result reflects the will of the people as an example of how democratic practices should unfold under this pandemic.
Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani was killed on January 3, 2020, by a U.S. drone strike at the Baghdad International Airport along with five others.
In response, Iran has issued an arrest warrant for President Donald Trump along with 36 others.
In a statement the following day, President Donald Trump said that the general was planning “imminent and sinister attacks” against the United States.
According to CNN, US Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, called the arrest warrant a “political stunt.”
In January, Iran wrote a letter to the United Nations and called the attack state terrorism and an unlawful criminal act.
May 27: Health Minister infected, cases pass 1,000 mark
\tLocal media portals have reported that Zambia’s health minister has tested positive for COVID-19.
Zambia virus stats as of May 24, 2020 at 13:00 GMT
Confirmed cases = 920
Deaths = 7
Recoveries = 336
Active cases = 577
May 20: Nakonde records more new cases
\tNakonde, the border town with Tanzania continues to record more cases of the virus.
The one-stop border post in Nakonde was closed last week by President Lungu amid a spike in cases.
May 14 = 654 cases (208 new cases), 7 deaths, 124 recoveries
\t\tMay 13 = 446 cases (5 new cases), 7 deaths, 117 recoveries
\t\tMay 12 = 441 cases (174 new cases), 7 deaths, 117 recoveries
\t\tMay 11 = 267 cases (0 new cases), 7 deaths, 117 recoveries
\t\tMay 10 = 267 cases, 7 deaths, 117 recoveries
\t
\tThe town of Nakonde was declared a hot spot by the Ministry of Health on May 10 leading to the closure of the frontier with Tanzania.
On Saturday (May 9) 76 new cases were reported in Nakonde, the border town in question.
State House — President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria will stand solidly behind Dr Akinwumi Adesina in his bid to get re-elected as President of the African Development Bank (AfDB)
The President spoke at State House, Abuja, Tuesday, while hosting Dr Adesina on a courtesy visit.
The President pledged that Nigeria would work with all other leaders and stakeholders in AfDB to ensure that Dr Adesina was elected for a second term built on the record of his achievements during his first term.
The African Union had already endorsed the incumbent AfDB President as sole candidate for the continent, but some other stakeholders are trying to ensure that Dr Adesina is re-investigated on some allegations, and rendered ineligible to run.
Giving a background to what was happening in the bank, Dr Adesina, a former Nigerian Minister for Agriculture, said the 16 allegations raised against him were trumped up, “and without facts, evidence, and documents, as required by the rules and regulations of the bank.”
I was exonerated, and any other investigation would amount to bending the rules of the bank, to arrive at a predetermined conclusion,” Dr Adesina said.
Now, as president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), he may be punch ball of a global political agenda pitting the US against African leaders, and maybe China.
“The leadership crisis at the AfDB is too important to ignore, especially at this time when the lender is raising funds to shore up its capital base for onward lending to African countries, many of which are battling debt crisis and the Corona pandemic,” Peter Mwencha, a specialist in international political economy and CEO of the International Relations Society of Kenya, said, referring to the bank’s bid to raise more than $100 billion from shareholders.
Africans are questioning why foreigners should have such a huge influence in such an important African institution,” he added, but challenged African leaders to consider raising their shareholding in the bank.
But the US stance, to have Dr Adesina re-investigated, has seen African leaders, including Nigeria, where he comes from, rally behind him.
“At this critical time that Africa is battling with Covid-19, the Bank and its President should not be distracted,” Obasanjo argued in a letter that was also signed by Jakaya Kikwete, Goodluck Jonathan, Joachim Chissano, Ellen-Johnson Sirleaf, Joyce Banda, Tandja Mamadou and several other leaders.
Zimbabweans have urged African leaders to up their game in terms of improving political and economic problems which have hallmarked their rule since the continent was freed from colonial oppression.
\"Right now, we have very few African countries that are doing well because political parties which fought the liberation struggle are the ones which are still ruling in most countries and there is nowhere we are going.
\"African youths should play a central role in reforming the continent.
Other citizens chose to look at the silver lining on the continent, zeroing in on the coronavirus menace which seems to have been more lenient on the continent as opposed to the first world.
\"We have heard and read in newspapers that so many people have died in other continents but as of Africa, we pray our ancestors protect us.\"
In 1972, Kaunda outlawed all opposition political parties. The world copper market collapsed in 1975. The Zambian economy was devastated—it had been the third-largest miner of copper in the world after the United States and Soviet Union. With a soaring debt and inflation rate in 1991, riots took place in Lusaka, resulting in a number of killings. Mounting domestic pressure forced Kaunda to move Zambia toward multiparty democracy. National elections on Oct. 31, 1991, brought a stunning defeat to Kaunda. The new president, Frederick Chiluba, called for sweeping economic reforms, including privatization and the establishment of a stock market. He was reelected in Nov. 1996. Chiluba declared martial law in 1997 and arrested Kaunda following a failed coup attempt. The 1999 slump in world copper prices again depressed the economy because copper provides 80% of Zambias export earnings.
In 2001, Chiluba contemplated changing the constitution to allow him to run for another presidential term. After protests he relented and selected Levy Mwanawasa, a former vice president with whom he had fallen out, as his successor. Mwanawasa became president in Jan. 2002; opposition parties protested over alleged fraud. In June 2002, Mwanawasa, once seen as a pawn of Chiluba, accused the former president of stealing millions from the government while in office. Chiluba was arrested and charged in Feb. 2003.
Although the country faced the threat of famine in 2002, the president refused to accept any international donations of food that had been genetically modified, which Mwanawasa considered “poison.” In Aug. 2003, impeachment proceedings against the president for corruption were rejected by parliament. In April 2005, the World Bank approved a $3.8 billion debt relief package for the country.
In Sept. 2006 presidential elections, incumbent Levy Mwanawasa was reelected. President Mwanawasa suffered a stroke in June 2008 and died in Paris in September. Vice President Rupiah Banda took over as acting president and was elected president
Zambia zăm´bēə [key], officially Republic of Zambia, republic (2005 est. pop. 11,262,000), 290,584 sq mi (752,614 sq km), central Africa. It borders on Congo (Kinshasa) in the north, on Tanzania in the northeast, on Malawi and Mozambique in the east, on Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia in the south, and on Angola in the west. Lusaka is the capital and largest city.
Sections in this article:
[The Point] Africa has seen many leadership styles over the course of history. The season of darkness in African leadership can be attributed to the period of the kingdoms to dictatorships to democrats and to self-perpetuating rule in this era. An assessment of the impact of such leaderships on the continent and on the livelihoods of the people is imperative for our understanding of the African society and political systems. To make the story short, however, this piece will focus on overstaying in power by the BORNAGA
May 10: Closure of border with Tanzania
\tThe Zambian government has announced the closure of its common border with Tanzania.
The president directed that with effect from Monday 11th May, 2020; “the Nakonde border will be temporarily closed.
May 8: Relaxation of lockdown measures
\tThe president in an address to the nation on Friday announced the reopening of restaurants, gyms and casinos “as he calls on Zambian scientists to find local solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic,” local news portal Mwebantu reported.
The president also challenged Zambian scientists to help find local solution to the COVID-19 pandemic.
[SAnews.gov.za] With Africa Day set to be celebrated on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the continent to deepen its efforts to achieve a sustainable and lasting social and economic recovery for its citizens.
Analysis - Zambia's charismatic state founder was respected worldwide. But his people suffered from corruption, poverty and an authoritarian one-party regime. The authorities declared three weeks of mourning.
There are now more than over 100,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the continent, with a number of African countries imposing a range of prevention and containment measures against the spread of the pandemic.
According to the latest data by the John Hopkins University and Africa Center for Disease Control on COVID-19 in Africa, the breakdown remains fluid as countries confirm cases as and when.
As of May 13, every African country had recorded an infection, the last being Lesotho.
We shall keep updating this list largely sourced from the John Hopkins University tallies, Africa CDC and from official government data.
SUGGESTED READING: Africa’s COVID-19 deaths pass 100,000 mark
Major African stats: May 27 at 7:00 GMT:
\t\tConfirmed cases = 119,454
\t\tNumber of deaths = 3,592
\t\tRecoveries = 48,607
\t\tActive cases = 67,255
Countries in alphabetical order
\t\tAlgeria – 8,697
\t\tAngola – 70
\t\tBenin – 208
\t\tBotswana – 35
\t\tBurkina Faso – 832
\t\tBurundi – 42
\t\tCameroon – 5,436
\t\tCape Verde – 390
\t\tCentral African Republic – 671
\t\tChad – 700
\t\tComoros – 87
\t\tCongo-Brazzaville – 487
\t\tDR Congo – 2,403
\t\tDjibouti – 2,468
\t\tEgypt – 18,756
\t\tEquatorial Guinea – 1,043
\t\tEritrea – 39
\t\tEswatini – 261
\t\tEthiopia – 701
\t\tGabon – 2,238
\t\t(The) Gambia – 25
\t\tGhana – 7,117
\t\tGuinea – 3,275
\t\tGuinea-Bissau – 1,178
\t\tIvory Coast – 2,477
\t\tKenya – 1,348
\t\tLesotho – 2
\t\tLiberia – 266
\t\tLibya – 77
\t\tMadagascar – 586
\t\tMalawi – 101
\t\tMali – 1,077
\t\tMauritania – 268
\t\tMauritius – 334
\t\tMorocco – 7,577
\t\tMozambique – 213
\t\tNamibia – 21
\t\tNiger – 952
\t\tNigeria – 8,344
\t\tRwanda – 339
\t\tSao Tome and Principe – 441
\t\tSenegal – 3,161
\t\tSeychelles – 11
\t\tSierra Leone – 754
\t\tSomalia – 1,711
\t\tSouth Africa – 24,264
\t\tSouth Sudan – 806
\t\tSudan – 3,976
\t\tTanzania – 509
\t\tTogo – 391
\t\tTunisia – 1,051
\t\tUganda – 253
\t\tZambia – 920
\t\tZimbabwe – 56
SUGGESTED READING: rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Africa II
[New Times] President Paul Kagame is expected to be among African leaders who will this afternoon meet to discuss the continent's vaccine manufacturing roadmap.
