Author: Devanta Davenport

Ugandans are debating on a contentious proposal to allow 15 year-old girls access contraceptive pills and other birth control methods. The debate has sharply divided Ugandans, some supporting it while others trashing the idea and demanding government stops it. Thomas Tayebwa the Deputy Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament described the proposal as “devilish”, saying it would “formalise defilement” of girls. However, according to a survey conducted by Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2022, nearly a quarter of 15- to 19-year-old girls in Uganda are either pregnant or are already mothers. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Lucy Akello a Member of Parliament described…

Israel has not only been the victim of a vicious and despicable terrorist attack. It is also the victim of a brazenly cynical move to disrupt the international stage and subvert tranquility in the Middle East. The Israeli-Palestinian powder keg conveniently served to add yet another full scale crisis putting even further pressure on a global order already strained to breaking point. Although no concrete evidence exists of any involvement in the attacks, Russia stands to gain the most from this extra flash point on the world map, as violence and war in the Middle East distracts from Putin’s unjustified…

Mozambique’s main opposition party claimed victory in local elections on Friday in several municipalities including the capital Maputo, as unrest broke out in several parts of the country. Some 48 million Mozambicans were registered to vote for their local leaders in 65 municipalities in the southern African country on Wednesday. Frelimo, the country’s ruling party and liberation movement, has won every national election since the end of the civil war in 1992 and, until now, has also had control over a large majority of municipalities. Opposition party Renamo has never won a national election in the former Portuguese colony, which…

Nigeria’s president has asked the Supreme Court to reject a petition by his political opponents to introduce new evidence aimed at overturning February’s presidential election. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s plea to the Supreme Court was contained in his response to an appeal made by the main opposition — People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar. Abubakar seeks to present new evidence at the Supreme Court in a bid to annul Tinubu’s victory, which was upheld last month by a lower court after weeks of litigation. This follows a U.S. court ordering Chicago State University to release Tinubu’s academic records to…

Bishop Firmino David of Sumbe Diocese in Angola has decried the “increase in crime” in the Southern African nation amid socio-economic challenges. In his Thursday, October 12 homily during Holy Mass at the Chapel of the Bishops’ Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST), Bishop Firmino called upon the Angolan government to create employment opportunities for young people in the country. “Today there is an increase in crime because if the child can’t find anything at home, he’ll wander the streets,” he said. Bishop Firmino added, “The struggle for survival leads people to experiment with various ways of…

Over the past decade, Rwanda has made significant strides in electricity generation, resulting in a six-fold increase in the number of households in the country gaining access to electricity, according to official data. Rwanda’s installed electricity generation capacity stood at 96 MW in 2010. However, as per data from the Rwanda Energy Group (REG), today, the capacity has steadily grown to 332.6 MW, thanks to various power plants operating across the nation. In terms of generation technology, thermal sources account for 51 percent, followed by hydro sources at 43.9 percent, and solar sources contributing 4.2 percent. This progress has led…

The hosts took the lead in the seventh minute when defender Hossam Abdel-Megid headed in a corner kick from Mohamed Shehata. Egypt’s players celebrated by imitating the gesture of Handala, a famous cartoon character created by Palestinian artist Naji Al-Ali, who symbolizes the plight of the Palestinian people. In the 41st minute, Mohamed Hamdi scored the second goal from a free kick with a shot under the wall. Jordan pulled one back in the 88th minute through Laith Abu Rahal, who capitalized on a defensive lapse from a corner kick. However, Egypt restored their two-goal cushion in stoppage time when…

The Russia-Africa summit, held amid the ongoing geopolitical crisis between Russia and Ukraine, concluded last week with promises of debt forgiveness and food supplies aimed at bolstering economic ties between Moscow and African nations. While Western nations continue to isolate Russia, several African leaders have opted for a path of diplomatic neutrality, maintaining closer links with Moscow. The highlight of this year’s summit was President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of debt forgiveness for African countries. However, experts express skepticism about whether this alone will significantly sway African nations towards turning to Russia for economic partnerships. In this latest episode of Business…

Decades ago, I did not go to Alliance. I did, however, attend the University of Nairobi’s law school where I met those very few who went to Alliance, sharing in the rarified air of their intellectual presence. Mosocho was my classmate and together with about 160 others, we were one of the pioneers of the government’s new increased student loan system. The system gave us direct cash amounting to about Sh7,000 per academic year as well as about Sh42,000 indirectly which was remitted to the university instead to pay for our tuition. To be honest, I blew my “boom” as…

Prof. Benedict Oramah, President & Chairman of Afreximbank and Chairman of the AATB Executive Committee, in a handshake with Eng. Hani Sonbol, CEO of ITFC and Secretary General of the AATB, after declaring the Food Security Programme by the AATB duly launched Cairo, 6 July 2023 – The Executive Committee of The Arab-Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) Program, a multi-donor, Inter-regional program, launched a US$1.5 billion Food Security Program to address the issues of food insecurity in the Arab and African regions amidst the ongoing global food security crisis. The crisis is a critical challenge facing the world today and continues to…