Note to editor: All hands seem to be getting on deck to accelerate Africa’s development. Africa Renewal’s Kingsley Ighobor writes that some of the continent’s richest individuals are now taking their philanthropic activities to new levels. By Kingsley Ighobor New York, December 13, 2013 (SSNA) — Last July, US President Barack Obama set the spark…
By: Africa Renewal April 22, 2013 (SSNA) — The country that gave the world two groundbreaking innovations in technology: M-Pesa, a mobile banking system, and Ushahidi, a platform for crowdsourcing information during disasters, is now taking its technological talents to new heights. The East African nation of Kenya has just started construction on a 5,000-acres piece…
Note to editor: In May 2012, Maged Abdelaziz was appointed as the UN’s new special adviser on Africa, at the level of under-secretary-general to advocate for African development internationally and help coordinate the efforts of UN agencies and departments in support of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the African Union’s continental plan for…
Note to editor: The big drop in new HIV infections in Africa calls for celebration. However, advocacy groups are warning that it is too soon to proclaim total victory. Africa Renewal’s Jocelyne Sambira reports on the fight to defeat the AIDS pandemic and highlights the hurdles on the way. By Jocelyne Sambira New York, January…
Note to Editor: After decades of instability, Somalia seems to be on the verge of change. A new leader, hope and a successful UN-backed plan known as the “Roadmap for the End of the Transition” that broke an eight-year political deadlock in Somalia, the nation appears to be on its way to stability. Jocelyne Sambira…
Note to Editor: Female circumcision an ancient tradition in many African countries has been a source for concern for many humanitarian and health organizations for quite some time now and beyond prevention reparation is now one of the goals to help eradicate the practice, reports Jocelyne Sambira for Africa Renewal. Innovative surgery gives women normal…
But huge challenges still lie ahead By Kingsley Ighobor New York, September 25, 2012 (SSNA) — Young men and women chat along the glittering corridors of the sprawling shopping complex. With state-of-the-art mobile communication gadgets in hand, they go in and out of the mall’s 65 shops, filling shopping bags with expensive items. Fully air-conditioned,…
Paving the path to “the future we want” By Masimba Tafirenyika Rio, Brazil, June 21, 2012 (SSNA) — It is rare for a head of government to be greeted with applause at the very beginning of a speech before the United Nations General Assembly. But that’s what happened last September when Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley…
Editor’s Note: The Peer Review Mechanism is opening avenues for citizen engagement all over Africa, David Mehdi Hamam and Ben Idrissa Ouédraogo report for Africa Renewal By David Mehdi Hamam and Ben Idrissa Ouédraogo February 24, 2012 (SSNA) — The ongoing agitation in Africa triggered by the “Arab Spring” demonstrates yet again the importance of…
By Dr. Lul P. Riek December 3, 2011 (SSNA) — On 1st December, 2011, the people of South Sudan will join millions of people around the world to observe World AIDS Day. Like no other illness, AIDS is the most single destructive epidemic in the recent human history because it has killed more than 25…
By Reuters June 22, 2010 (Nicosia) — Cyprus has intercepted a vessel carrying military equipment thought to be bound for Sudan, under an arms embargo by the United Nations and the European Union. Authorities said on Tuesday the Antigua and Barbuda flagged cargo vessel had been prevented from leaving Cypriot waters since June 11, when…
February 18, 2010 (Mekele) — The Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) said its 35th founding anniversary is being celebrated in the aftermath of remarkable achievements registered in all development sectors. In a statement it issued here on Wednesday in connection with its 35th founding anniversary, TPLF Central Committee said tangible change is being registered in…
February 15, 2010 (Washington, DC) — U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration will travel to Chad and Sudan from February 14-22, 2010, where he will visit N’Djamena, Juba, Kadugli (Kauda), and Khartoum. The dispatch of Mr. Gration is a part of the US effort to bring just lasting peace in the region. Today, the…