Tanzania’s Economy Rises By 7.2 %
Tanzania’s economy grew by 7.2 percent year-on-year
in the second quarter of 2019, up from 6.1 percent in the same period a year
ago, buoyed by growth in construction, mining and communications sectors,
official data showed on Sunday. In the first quarter of 2019, the East African
nation’s GDP grew by 6.6 percent, according to the state-run National Bureau of
Statistics.
SOURCE: CNBC Africa
Plight Of An Ethiopian Journalist
A court in Ethiopia has sentenced a journalist to seven years
imprisonment, a number of local media outlets reported. Fekadu Mahitemework who
worked with the Enku Magazine, a local media outlet, was sentenced on charges
of tax evasion. He was also handed a 7000 birr fine by the court.
SOURCE: Africa News
Kenya’s Plastic Pollution Set To Change By 2020
Two years ago, Kenya banned plastic carrier bags. But with
pollution getting worse, President Uhuru Kenyatta says single-use plastic will
be banned altogether by June 2020. With new arrivals comes more waste and the
landfill is expanding faster than the city itself.
SOURCE: Aljazeera
South Africa’s Efforts To Avoid Day Zero
South Africa has imposed emergency measures, including rationing, to save dwindling water supplies after an abnormally hot, dry summer coupled with below average rainfall and a spike in usage pushes the country towards a crippling shortage.
SOURCE: Reuters
Explore Africa’s Deepest Lakes
Africa is home to some of the largest, deepest, and all-round
awe-inspiring lakes in the world. Most of the major lakes on the continent are
part of what is known as Africa’s “Great Lakes”. These are a series of lakes
that lie along the East African Rift Valley and connect with both the Nile and
Congo rivers.
SOURCE: Africa.com
Humanity’s Birthplace Pinpointed In Botswana
Where was the evolutionary birthplace of modern humans? The East African Great Rift Valley has long been the favoured contender. Our new research has used DNA to trace humanity’s earliest footsteps to a prehistoric wetland called Makgadikgadi-Okavango, south of the Great Zambezi River. Analysis, show that the earliest population of modern humans arose 200,000 years ago in an area that covers parts of modern-day Botswana.
SOURCE: Conversation
Seychelles Leader Champions Climate Change Fight
President Danny Faure in an exclusive interview with The
Associated Press says small island nations like his are the least responsible
for the problem but among the most vulnerable as sea levels rise. “The science
is clear,” he said. “The scientists have spoken. We all know that we have a
problem. What is needed is responsible global action.”
SOURCE: VOA News
Looming Catastrophe That Could Hit 2.3 Million Zambians
Communities across southern Africa have been affected by drought since late
2018. This year, large parts of southern and western Zambia received their
lowest seasonal rainfall totals since at least 1981, the base year from which
normal rainfall is benchmarked. At the same time, northern and eastern parts of
the country were affected by flash floods and waterlogging, resulting in poor
harvests.
SOURCE: Ventures Africa
Google Doodle Honours Nigeria’s Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti
These days in Nigeria Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti is often remembered
as “Mama Fela”, the mother of Afrobeat legend, band leader and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
But Ransome-Kuti was a legend in her own right particularly when it comes to
the story of Nigeria’s battle for independence and for gender equality. That’s
why Google has recognized the matriarchal icon for its users in Nigeria.
SOURCE: Quartz
A Marveling 900 Year Old Village On A Mountain
Shonke village is a 900-year-old settlement on the top of a
mountain in Ethiopia’s Amhara region. Residents say they prefer their
traditional stone-built homes to Ethiopia’s “shining cities”. About
20 generations have lived in the village, but residents now say half of the
village’s estimated households have left in search of farmlands down the hill.
SOURCE: BBC