NGO reaches milestone in River Blindness treatment

Onchocerciasis (more commonly known as River Blindness) is one of the biggest causes of blindness in Africa, yet the continent’s continued struggle against the neglected tropical disease (NTD) goes largely unnoticed.
However, the growth of the ailment is being stunted through work by the development NGO Sightsavers. It claims to have already distributed 150million of treatments [...]

KENYA: Civil servants barred from political campaigns

The country’s interim independent electoral commission (IIEC) says using public servants to campaign for the proposed constitution ahead of referendum on 4th August 2010 is illegal.
The commission has consequently asked the head of public service Francis Muthaura to immediately withdraw permanent secretaries (PSs) and senior government officials from campaigns.
Chairman Issack Hassan told journalists on Thursday [...]

Feelings of insecurity in Kenya and Burundi

Feelings of insecurity and the high level alert across East African states played out in the public in Kenya and Burundi this week.
In Kenya a General Service Unit Para Military officer was wounded by suspected Al-Shabaab invaders on the North Eastern Liboi border. Police later arrested a suspect in Nairobi’s Eastleigh estate.
Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe [...]

AU Meetings in Kampala 1975/2010 – Changing Times

As heads of state gather in Kampala this week for the African Union summit my mind wandered back to 1975 when heads of state also gathered in Kampala for the OAU (Organisation of African Unity as it was then known) Summit. This was by any measure a remarkable meeting, not least for the presence [...]

Sierra Leone: US$20million for Youth Employment

Today (July 20th 2010) the World Bank announced that it has signed an agreement with the Government of Sierra Leone that supports its short to medium term efforts aimed at building on the successes of existing youth employment programs in the country through the Youth and Employment Support (YES) project.
YES’s objectively increases access to short-term [...]

Africa’s Last Taboo

Dispatches is Channel 4’s highly successful, sometimes controversial pioneering documentary series that critically covers a vast range of topics and areas.
In a recent episode entitled ‘Africa’s Last Taboo’,  filmmaker and reporter Sorious Samura travels to a couple of countries in the continent in an effort to highlight the persecution of gay people in Africa, which [...]

Uganda: Football fans killed in blasts

Three explosions went off Sunday 11th July in two locations in Uganda where supporters had gathered to watch the World Cup Final. Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba confirmed that so far 64 people have died in the blasts at the viewing sites that were set up by New Vision, a Ugandan daily newspaper. A further 70 [...]

Kenya: Protesting handling of Somali Crisis

Kenya is leading a diplomatic revolt in the Horn of Africa region. The nation is protesting the way that the Somali Crisis has been handled by the International Community since millions of dollars pledged by different countries have yet to surface. Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula told New Africa Analysis that, ‘we are requesting donors [...]

Somalia: Summit urges 20,000 troop deployment

A two day summit of the inter-governmental authority on development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa ended Monday 5th July with several concrete actions to chart the way forward in solving the political and security crisis in this troubled country.
The IGAD Summit resolved to work with all parties including the African Union mission (AMISOM) and the Security [...]

Liberia: Set Free from Debt

International donors have wiped off US$4.6 billion the total of this country’s debt because the country is strengthening its government systems, tackling corruption and poverty reduction, and is on target to meet the millennium development goals (MDGs).
The World Bank’s international development association (IDA) and the international monetary fund (IMF) decided Tuesday 29th June that the [...]