Africa

1. Mozambique’s new president
2. Arbitrations rise in Sahel
3. DRC’s contaminated minerals
4. Egypt’s solar demand
5. Nutrition outlook worsens

A promising new treatment for intestinal worms.

Mozambique inaugurates president

Daniel Chapo was sworn in as Mozambique’s president as opposition leaders threatened a “national strike” following months of protests over last year’s disputed election. His first task will be to quell the widespread civil unrest that has left at least 300 people dead after clashes with police. Main opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane, who returned to Mozambique last week after going into self-imposed exile, has called for regular demonstrations in order to paralyze the government.

Chapo’s victory in a vote international observers said was beset by irregularities also raises questions over his legitimacy. Two of the main opposition parties boycotted Wednesday’s inauguration because they did not recognize him as the rightful winner. Analysts told Semafor that Mozambique was at growing risk of defaulting on its debt if political tensions persisted.

Sahel mining firms move to arbitration

Global mining corporations in West Africa are increasingly turning to arbitration to resolve disputes with military regimes as tensions over critical minerals escalate. In recent weeks, the Washington-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes has registered arbitration cases from Canadian miner Barrick Gold against Mali, Vancouver-based GoviEx against Niger, and Australian gold explorer Sarama Resources against Burkina Faso. France’s uranium giant Orano has also launched arbitration proceedings against Niger. The cases come as Barrick’s dispute with Mali intensified this week: The miner suspended operations in the country after the government seized control of its gold stocks, reportedly worth $245 million, flying them out by helicopter.

— Joël Té-Léssia Assoko

Rebels contaminate DR Congo’s minerals

The monthly revenue collected by the M23 rebel group in DR Congo through its control of a mining region in the country’s east, UN experts said. More than 15% of the world’s supply of tantalum, a rare metal used in smartphones and computers, comes from the Rubaya area, which was seized by M23 in April. Last year the group exported at least 150 metric tons of coltan, from which tantalum is extracted, to neighboring Rwanda. The experts, in a report, called it “the largest contamination of mineral supply chains in the Great Lakes region recorded to date.”

North Africa’s solar push

Soaring natural gas prices are fueling demand for solar energy in Egypt, raising hopes that the North African country may finally accelerate its green transition. Falling domestic gas production and booming electricity demand amid sweltering temperatures led to blackouts across Egypt last year. Now investors are ploughing billions of dollars into solar energy projects, which could produce electricity for as little as two or three US cents per kilowatt hour. Several North African countries are following suit. Algeria, which currently generates more than 90% of its electricity from gas, has issued tenders for three gigawatts of solar energy, while Morocco unveiled plans for its biggest solar farm last year.

Fewer Africans find their food nutritious

Fewer people in Africa now consider their food nutritious, pointing to the impact of rising living costs and food insecurity across the continent. The share of respondents from North Africa who said the food they ate was healthy in a given week fell from 75% in 2022 to 54% in 2023, research by the Gallup-Ando Foundation found, the largest decline of all 11 regions surveyed worldwide. Perceptions of healthy eating in sub-Saharan Africa also dropped from 67% in 2022 to 60% in 2023. The findings coincided with double-digit inflation in several African countries in 2023, driven by the supply chain shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Moving beyond identifying barriers to achieving practical, scalable interventions — The Next 3 Billion at Davos will discuss emphasizing collaboration between public and private sectors to mobilize resources and technology for global good.

Semafor’s Yinka Adegoke will moderate a conversation with Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers South Africa, and Simi Nwogugu, CEO, Junior Achievement Africa to discuss digital upskilling and inclusion.

Jan. 23, 2025 | Davos, Switzerland | Request Invitation

🇿🇲 The US State Department approved the sale of American-made Bell 412 helicopters to the Zambian government for $100 million.

🇪🇹 Chinese Bitcoin miner BIT Mining will acquire a 51-megawatt mine in Ethiopia for $14 million.

🇸🇴 Somalia plans to allow Ethiopian forces to participate in a peacekeeping mission in the country after resolving a disagreement over Addis Ababa’s diplomatic engagement with the breakaway region of Somaliland.

🇿🇦​​ South African authorities recovered at least 60 bodies from an abandoned gold mine where an unknown number of workers are still thought to be trapped after a months-long standoff over illegal mining.

🇨🇩 Telecom companies Vodacom and Orange agreed to jointly build up to 2,000 new solar-powered mobile base stations in mostly rural DR Congo over a six-year period.

A new trial found that a single mango-flavored pill combining two existing treatments for intestinal worms could help control the infection. The parasites, including whipworm and hookworm, infect about 1.5 billion people globally. They contaminate soil where sanitation is poor, causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, and malnutrition, as well as impaired growth in children. Researchers — whose study was conducted on school-aged children in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Mozambique — say the new pill could “better manage the disease on a large scale,” the BBC reported. A further trial will take place in Kenya and Ghana.

The wildfires that are sweeping Los Angeles may accelerate the flight of home insurance companies, in spite of recent regulatory changes aimed at retaining them, the state’s previous top insurance official told Semafor’s Tim McDonnell.

For California to experience fires like these “was never a question of if, it was a question of when,” the official said.

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— Alexis Akwagyiram, Preeti Jha, Alexander Onukwue, and Yinka Adegoke.