Nigeria is one of eight countries in Africa where attempted suicide is against the law. The law originally came into effect back when the country was a British Colony, and was abolished by Britain in 1961, although Nigeria gained its independence a year prior. While survivors of attempted suicide rarely face jail time, the process of being arrested and being… Read more »
Security forces took up positions outside the offices of the DRC’s election commission and elsewhere in the capital Kinshasa, amid fears that violence would mar the first electoral transfer of power in 59 years of independence. Riot police have been deployed to protect election officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as it braced for the announcement of the… Read more »
More than one in 10 people travelling through the region are taken, as smugglers boost dwindling returns by preying on people for ransom, survey finds More than 15% of refugees travelling north through the Horn of Africa were kidnapped during their journey last year, according to what is believed to be one of the most comprehensive surveys of migration journeys. Researchers from… Read more »
Last year Ifeanyi Ugokwe was arrested and locked up for weeks. His crime: he tried to take his own life. After weeks of being hungry and jobless, the 25-year old says he reached breaking point after a security guard pushed him to the ground while he was searching for work at a building site. “I was tired of walking around… Read more »
Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)At least three people were stabbed Tuesday after violence flared at a campaign rally in Lagos, southwestern Nigeria, police said.Lagos state Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode addressed thousands of supporters at the event, organized by Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress party.Violence broke out after members of a transport union stormed the campaign venue, said Lagos police spokesman Chike Oti. Bring Back our… Read more »
The finding of three new strains of hepatitis C is incredibly concerning, considering of the 71 million affected worldwide, 11 million live in Sub-Saharan Africa, this raises worries of other unfound strains. Many of today’s medicine is being developed in regard to strains and cases found in the Western developed world. This discovery is significant, although its only the beginning…. Read more »
CAPE TOWN – The World Economic Forum’s latest report on gender equality shows that Sub-Saharan Africa’s gender gap has started to widen again after showing progress in closing the gap for six consecutive years. The report, which was published this week, showed Rwanda leading the region despite moving down two places after a reversal in progress on economic participation and… Read more »
Researchers have found three brand new strains of the hepatitis C virus in patients in Uganda in one of the biggest studies of the disease in sub Saharan Africa. In 2016 the World Health Organization announced it wanted to to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030 but current treatments are developed for Western strains of the disease and there have been few studies… Read more »
Promoting digital literacy and identifying the skills to let the next generation work with technology are crucial, says the IMF’s Christine Lagarde. Climate change is the major force shaping the future of work in sub-Saharan Africa, says managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde. Lagarde made the statement in her opening remarks at an IMF conference on… Read more »
Experts say governments need an approach that doesn’t rely solely on security forces but addresses local grievances Extremists are penetrating sub-Saharan Africa at an alarming rate, threatening states ill-prepared to deal with the resulting complex social and security challenge, western and African officials have said. Islamic radical groups, which include Isis, Al Qaeda affiliates and homegrown movements such as Boko Haram, threaten the continent – despite… Read more »