1Making Intra- Africa Travel for Africans Easier

The African Union Commission Chairperson will reveal the specific details on the production and issuance of the African passport, which will aid the free movement of Africans across the continent. The announcement will happen at the annual AU Summit held in February.

SOURCES: eTurbo News

2Lessons from DRC’s Elections

At the end of 2018, 46 million citizens cast their votes in a historic election in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There hasn’t been a peaceful transition of power in this country since the end of Belgian rule in 1960. If this election produces a result that’s widely viewed as credible, it will cement a new era of representative government in Africa.

SOURCES: Quartz Africa

3Getting around Africa’s Megacities

Could Dar es Salaam’s experiment with Africa’s first ‘gold standard’ bus rapid transit system offer an alternative to a future dependent on private cars? Unlike many cities on the continent, Dar es Salaam isn’t trying to build a metro. It has chosen a less sexy but cheaper and more achievable route: the bus.

SOURCES: The Guardian

4Gambia’s Healing Sessions Begin

Two years after President Yahya Jammeh left power in Gambia, the country is opening a truth commission that will look into abuses carried out during his more than two decades in power. The commission, known as the TCRR, or Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission will give alleged victims of Yahya Jammeh’s regime an opportunity to voice their grievances publicly.

SOURCES: VOA, Al Jazeera

5Ghana’s Contribution to Plastic Waste Can Be Reduced with the Right Investment

Nelson Boateng, Chief Executive Director of Nelplast Ghana limited, began moulding and creating pavement blocks from plastic in 2015. The company uses 70 percent sand and 30 percent plastic to manufacture the pavement blocks, but the ratio of the two materials changes depending on the kind of pavement project.

SOURCES: Africa.com

6Campaigning to Abolish Nigeria’s Suicide Law

Attempting suicide is a criminal offense in Nigeria, due to stigma the country’s suicide rates are usually underreported. However, the World Health Organization estimates that there are 9.5 suicides per every 100,000 people in the country. The legal process around these types of cases is lengthy and complicated for people suffering from serious mental health issues.

SOURCES: CNN

7Putting a Curb on Africa’s Billion Dollar Industry

Skin-whitening creams are being removed from shelves in Rwanda as the government enforces a ban on the products. But many fear the ban in Rwanda will encourage women to buy unregulated products which could put their health at risk.

SOURCES: Al Jazeera

8Crises Facing Libya’s Non-oil Industry

When Libya’s Trucks and Buses Company, the country’s sole automobile manufacturer, reopened in May 2017; many saw this as a sign of hope with the encouragement of the UN-backed government of national accord. But while it once turned out 5,000 vehicles a year, it now completes only 8 a month with demand mostly coming from Libyan state institutions.

SOURCES: Reuters

9Afcon Finds a New Home

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has selected Egypt as the hosts of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). South Africa and Egypt were the only two nations to submit bids for the tournament, which is only five months away from kicking off, after Cameroon were dumped as hosts late last year.

SOURCES: EWN

10Burundian Soul Singer JP Bimeni Rides Wave of Critical Acclaim

His debut album, Free Me, recalls tones of Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye but imbued with the soul of his home country, Bimeni delivers songs of love and loss, hope and fear with a conviction that comes from the extraordinary experiences life has thrown at him.

SOURCES: BBC

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