Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been widely praised for introducing sweeping reforms aimed at ending political repression, writes BBC Africa editor Fergal Keane after visiting the country. The crowd at the airport in Jimma in Ethiopia’s Oromia region was handpicked and universally rapturous. But these were not the praise-singing party hacks who so often […]

Sonwabile Mnwana, University of Fort Hare A South African High Court has passed an important judgment putting a stop to the pervasive practice by companies to mine ancestral lands in rural areas without the villagers’ consent. The case was brought by the community of rural UMgungundlovu, a small cluster of villages that fall under the […]

Most African countries have a positive economic outlook, apart from those with upcoming elections, according to ICAEW’s (the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) latest report. In Economic Insight: Africa Q4 2018, launched today, the accountancy body provides GDP growth forecasts for various regions including East Africa which is set to grow by […]

Despite the deaths of eight protesters, the Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo plans to continue to push for political change and for President Joseph Kabila to step down. Leaders of the Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo have vowed to continue fighting for justice following violent protests dispersed by police. […]

The US president reportedly called African and a number of other nations ‘shithole countries’ in a private meeting. According to several reports, US President Donald Trump has made vulgar remarks about Haiti, El Salvador and African countries during DACA discussions, calling them “shithole countries” and objecting to immigrants coming from there. President Trump has denied […]

Five years ago a midwife in Kenya delivered a child with male and female sexual organs. The father told her to kill it, but instead she hid it and raised it as her own. Two years later, the same thing happened again – and before long she was forced to flee to save the children’s […]

More than 250,000 children in war-torn South Sudan could die by July because of starvation, an UN official has warned. More than 250,000 children in war-torn South Sudan are “at risk of imminent death” because of severe malnutrition, a United Nations official has said. Henrietta H Fore, executive director of the UN children’s agency (UNICEF), […]

A selection of the best photos from across and about Africa this year: Images from AFP, EPA, Getty Images and Reuters. Source: Read Full Article

In our series of letters from African journalists, media and communications trainer Joseph Warungu reflects on gender inequality in Kenyan politics. The Kenyan parliament is a tough playground. And just like any other playground, the bigger ones tend to play rough and keep the toys to themselves. The “boys” in parliament have been doing exactly […]

Voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo have gone to the polls to choose a new president to replace Joseph Kabila, who has been in power for 17 years. Here is a selection of some of the best pictures from the day: A heavy downpour in the capital, Kinshasa, meant that voting got off to […]