Africa

The amount renewable energy firm Prime Energy wants to raise through Rwanda’s first ever green bond. The company, which operates four hydropower plants in Rwanda, said it had received approval from the country’s Capital Markets Authority to list the seven-year bond on the Rwanda Stock Exchange. Proceeds from the bond will be used to develop a new project, and finance maintenance of its existing plants. The offer opened Monday and will close on April 5, with the bond set to start trading on the RSE on April 26.

Ethiopia’s pharmacies run short of drugs due to forex crisis

THE SCENE

ADDIS ABABA — Last month, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), I made an open offer. I called for anyone to send me a private message if they knew someone who urgently needed essential medicine to be brought from Kenya to treat a chronic illness. I was set to attend the African Media Festival in Nairobi.

I was overwhelmed. Among many, I received requests for medicine for all kinds of illness ranging from cancer to diabetes, as well as insulin and over the counter pain medications that are readily available in Kenya, but not in Ethiopia.

I was able to assist about half of the nearly two dozen people who approached me on social media with requests. I knew none of them, beyond exchanging a few messages on social media. But it was clear that many were desperate to help themselves or loved ones. It cost a total of approximately $500.

To help me expand my reach, I was financially supported by someone I met through a direct message on X who works with an international organization based in Addis Ababa, who volunteered to partially cover the cost.

I heard from people from all walks of life: rural and urban, young and old, rich and poor, and those in between. They narrated how difficult it has become to obtain basic healthcare in Ethiopia, amid a biting shortage of essential medicines.

To me, this is a small glimpse at the people suffering in silence in a country where potentially lifesaving basic medicine is a far-fetched dream for many.

Ethiopia, like many African countries, has a high dependence on imports to maintain its medical supply chain. It is currently grappling with a chronic foreign currency deficit which has made it hard to secure the dollars needed to import goods.

The situation has forced many importers to rely on contraband medicines. The prices are exorbitant, since they are based on the black market currency exchange rate that is trading at double the official rate. The market is also awash with counterfeit products that are of substandard quality.

Disinformation campaigns in Africa increased four-fold in 2023, with the majority stemming from Russian agents targeting West African countries, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies said. A new report from the organization found that 189 instances of disinformation campaigns last year affected at least 39 countries in Africa. Sponsors of such campaigns include affiliates of China’s Communist Party, militant islamist groups, military groups like juntas, and domestic political actors. But Russia, with 80 documented campaigns targeting 22 countries, was “the primary purveyor of disinformation in Africa,” the report said. Russian disinformation before and after the coup in Niger last July used online networks, “assets groomed on-the-ground and Russian state media” to direct fake content towards citizens, the ACSS found. Elections are a favorite target for disinformation actors: One agent — an Israeli group named “Team Jorge” — has pushed disinformation campaigns during at least 20 African elections since 2015.

Why Niger ended its military deal with the US

→ What’s happening? Niger’s junta ended an agreement that allows U.S. military and civilian staff to operate on its soil. The move was announced on Saturday in a televised address by junta spokesman Amadou Abdramane.

→ So what? Well, the U.S. used a $100 million drone base in Niger to monitor jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State that operate in the Sahel. Militants have destabilized the subregion through attacks that have killed thousands and forced millions to flee their homes.

→ Why now? The announcement by the junta, which seized power in a coup last July, followed a visit days earlier by U.S. officials to discuss security and governance issues. Abdramane suggested the American delegation raised objections about the junta’s choice of military allies. He also criticized what he called their “condescending attitude.”

→ And the U.S. response? The Pentagon remains “in contact” with the junta, a spokesperson said on Monday, adding: “We want to see our partnership continue if there is a pathway forward.” The spokesperson said talks with the junta were partly spurred by concerns over the country’s potential relationships with Russia and Iran. “We were troubled on the path that Niger is on,” the spokesperson said.

→ Alexis’s View. This is about Russia and its deepening ties with Niger. The junta in Niamey kicked out French troops late last year. It has turned to Russia for military assistance in recent months, as have Mali and Burkina Faso. The claim that the U.S. team adopted a “condescending attitude” is part of a broader pushback against Western powers who military rulers in the region say want to control African governments and benefit from their resources while not doing enough to fight jihadist insurgents.

— Alexis Akwagyiram

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Damaged undersea internet cables will take weeks to repair

Undersea cable companies that extend internet services to West and Central Africa estimate that it could take five weeks to repair damage to their facilities that was discovered last week.

Widespread internet outages in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire were reported on Mar. 14, making many websites unavailable and disrupting online banking operations. Some of the difficulties have eased in the days since, but the weeks-long timeline for fixing the issue means internet access will remain spotty.

Ghana’s National Communications Authority said the five-week estimate is “for full service restoration from the time the vessels are dispatched to the various locations.” The regulator said it met with the four leading cable landing service providers: Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), MainOne, South Atlantic 3, and the West Africa Cable System (WACS).

Nigeria-based MainOne, whose cable services are also active in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, said it restored “stability” on its network on Monday after rerouting traffic over the weekend to other cables that were unaffected. It had described the event as “an external incident that resulted in a cut” along its cable lines off the West African coast. The exact nature of the incident is yet to be confirmed in detail.

Cables laid deep in the ocean underpin the wireless internet world, carrying data across continents through connected landing stations and data centers. Google and Meta have in recent years become the biggest names in the business of laying these fiber optic cables in Africa, as part of their investment and product expansion drives in the continent.

Access to WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook apps owned by Meta remained normal in both Nigeria and Ghana. Google’s services, including the search engine and YouTube, have also remained normally available.

— Alexander Onukwue in Lagos

🇬🇭 Vietnamese electric automaker VinFast said on Friday that it had entered a deal with Jospong Group to sell electric cars, e-scooters, e-bikes and electric buses in Ghana and West Africa. The company said it wants its EVs in 50 markets by the end of the year.

🇺🇬 Uganda was removed from the European Union’s anti-money laundering blacklist on Friday. The EU said the country had established legal and regulatory frameworks to combat financial terrorism and money laundering schemes. In February, Uganda was removed from the Financial Action Task Force’s gray list.

🇹🇿 Australian company Black Rock Mining said it received approval for a $53.4 million loan from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to fund its Mahenge Graphite Project in Tanzania. The project, which is expected to commence production in 2026, will be the world’s fourth largest graphite resource.

🇰🇪 The U.S. Treasury Department said it believes the World Bank’s private investment arm tried to cover up reports of child sex abuse at Kenya’s Bridge International Academies. The Treasury said the International Finance Corporation entered into a confidentiality agreement with Bridge after the Bank’s internal watchdog started investigating complaints of child sex abuse at the schools.

🇪🇬 The European Union announced a 7.4 billion euro ($8.1 billion) funding package for Egypt on Sunday, part of an agreement aimed at stemming the flow of migrants to Europe. The agreement turns the EU’s relationship with Egypt into a “strategic partnership” that intends to boost cooperation in areas including renewable energy, trade and security. The agreement will ensure grants, loans and other funding are delivered over the next three years to support Egypt’s economy.

Cameroonian scholar Achille Mbembe is the first African to be awarded the Holberg Prize, an annual award presented to an “outstanding researcher” in the humanities, social sciences, law, or theology. Mbembe, a professor at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, is one of the continent’s most cited scholars, and his books have been printed in 17 languages. He is known for his work on African history, the consequences of colonialism, and French critical theory. The win signals “Africa’s recentring in the global circuits of knowledge production,” Mbembe told University World News, adding that the award validates the work being undertaken by scholars on the continent. The prize, valued at around $575,000, is administered by the University of Bergen on behalf of the Norwegian government.

• The legendary American political brawler Rahm Emanuel on China, Japan, and sitting out a historic U.S. election.
• ‘Very few have balls’: How American news lost its nerve.
• The West slams Putin’s rigged election win as China and India send congratulations.

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— Yinka, Alexis, Alexander Onukwue, Martin Siele, and Muchira Gachenge