Welcome to the Development Diaries weekly roundup of top African stories for Sunday, 30 July, 2023.
Last week, we reported how the Department of State Services (DSS) disobeyed a court order in Lagos, Nigeria; Tinubu’s repeat of Buhari’s mistake; reactions to the coup in Niger; concerns over drilling activities in Uganda’s MFNP; AfDB’s economic outlook for North Africa; and WHO’s warning over contaminated cough syrup in Cameroon among other top stories.
Tinubu’s Ministerial List and Repeat of Buhari Error
President Bola Tinubu released a list of 28 ministerial nominees but failed to attach their portfolios to it – the same mistake made by former President Muhammadu Buhari. Read more
DSS Demonstrates Lawlessness
Over 24 hours after the Department of State Services (DSS) demonstrated lawlessness at the Federal High Court in Lagos, Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has been silent on the matter. The DSS refused to let go of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, despite a court order granting the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) custody of him. Read more
Niger Coup Threatens Human Rights, Civil Unrest – ImpactHouse
ImpactHouse Centre for Development Communication raised concerns over the coup in Niger. Soldiers in the West African country announced the coup on national TV on Thursday. Read more
Concerns over Drilling Activities in Uganda’s MFNP
Some African environmental activists raised concerns over the oil drilling activities in Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP) by TotalEnergies. There are concerns that the move by the energy firm threatens the biodiversity of the park – a beloved tourist hub and a key contributor to Uganda’s economy. Read more
Nigerian State Sets Palliative Example for Tinubu, Governors
Governor of Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria, Uba Sani, launched a government-owned trust fund to support vulnerable and underserved citizens. The governor, speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of commissioners in the state, pledged to donate 50 percent of his salary to the trust fund for the next two years. Read more
North Africa Gets Green Growth Call
What are the implications of the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) 2023 economic outlook for North Africa? AfDB projected North African countries to see a slight increase in economic growth to 4.6 percent in 2023 and 4.4 percent in 2024. Read more
WHO Warns of Contaminated Cough Syrup in Cameroon
World Health Organisation (WHO) warned against the circulation of substandard (contaminated) cough medicines in Cameroon. The substandard syrup was identified in Cameroon and first reported to WHO on 13 March, 2023. Read more
Africa Union Makes Free Movement Call
The African Union (AU) Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Minata Cessouma, called on the government of Ghana to ratify the AU Protocol of Free Movement of Persons. Cessouma made the call at a press briefing in Accra, the country’s capital. Read more
That is the roundup of some stories that made headlines last week. More headlines are available on Development Diaries.
