01 October 2022
Polio: The recent resurgence of the disease is worrying – polio was as good as eradicated, now it is making a comeback. “In 2020, Africa was classified as free from endemic polio.” Covid did harm to the eradication campaign. In late 2021, a wild poliovirus case in Malawi “marked a return of the virus to Africa”. In 2022, Nigeria has counted 415 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) cases. The Lancet article is titled “Polio eradication: falling at the final hurdle?” The question mark is a sign of optimism in the face of lots of challenges.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01875-X/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email
South Sudan: The continuing crisis in the country is made much worse by the use of arms by civilians to fight each other. In South Sudan, Lakes State is a useful example: formerly “the most violence-stricken place in the country”, security there improved significantly once disarmament was started in 2021. Now “total disarmament of young people throughout the country” should follow.
https://theconversation.com/south-sudan-should-disarm-civilians-the-evidence-shows-this-improves-security-190770
Uganda/Ebola: Four Ugandan districts are now affected by Ebola. 35 cases and 7 deaths have been confirmed so far.
BBC Africa Live 30 September 2022. 19:21
30 September 2022
“When ants march in and out of the house, it means there is food”
BBC Africa Live 30 September 2022. 6:31. Proverb of the day. A proverb sent by George Nhlema in Karonga, Malawi.
Mozambique: The police chief has called on Cabo Delgado residents to be more vigilant and to use any arms at their disposal (knives, machetes, spears) to defend themselves against jihadists in case of an attack. Reacting to calls from locals – especially youths – for weapons to better defend their communities, he said that “those who are qualified would be integrated into the local force - a group that works with government soldiers and international allies in the fight against terrorism.”
BBC Africa Live 30 September 2022. 7:49
Mali/Côte d’Ivoire/Ecowas: An Ecowas delegation including presidents Nana Akufo-Addo (Ghana) and Adama Barrow (Gambia) as well as Robert Dussey (Togo/Minister of Foreign Affairs) and the organisation’s mediator for Mali Goodluck Jonathan (ex-Nigerian president) has arrived yesterday Thursday in Bamako for talks about the 46 Ivorian soldiers detained since July.
BBC Africa Live 30 September 2022. 6:35
Nigeria: Foreign direct investment in the country has decreased by almost 80% over the last five years. Institutions have been a major factor in this decline. With secure property rights contributing to attracting investment, the article’s author’s research suggests that, particularly “the curtailing of land rights, in the form of the right to manage and the right to use, may have contributed to the fall in foreign direct investment inflows.”
https://theconversation.com/foreign-investment-into-nigeria-has-fallen-sharply-rights-and-freedoms-may-be-one-reason-189851
Green hydrogen: Big projects for the production of green hydrogen are almost all located in the Global South. But such projects come with great risks. For the time being, green hydrogen is too expensive to produce and to transport to be viable.
https://theconversation.com/green-hydrogen-sounds-like-a-win-for-developing-countries-but-cost-and-transport-are-problems-191295
Tanzania: Worryingly, the East African Court of Justice has upheld the Tanzanian government’s eviction of Maasai from the Ngorongoro conservation area, furthermore saying that no compensation was needed “because nobody had been injured and no property lost during the evictions”.
BBC Africa Live 30 September 2022. 18:18