West Africa

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo on Sunday announced the lifting of the mandatory wearing of wask masks in public citing a steady decline in Covid infections in the country and neighboring countries. Ghana joins dozens of African countries that have eased most Covid containment measures. President Akufo-Addo also scrapped the requirement …

Ghana’s government has announced a raft of measures including injecting $2bn into the economy to help prop up its falling currency, and slashing the salaries of government appointees, including ministers and heads of state-owned enterprises, by 30%. Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta said the measures were to help Ghana cope with …

The court of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) has ordered the suspension of its sanctions against Mali, pending a “detailed” court ruling, the body’s spokesperson said. In January, the organisation instructed the suspension of all financial institutions under its wing in Mali, after its ruling military junta …

A Nigerian father lost four of his children after they drowned following a boat accident in the northern state of Kebbi, the BBC reported. The father, Musa Labaran, who survived the accident, said he made unsuccessful attempts to save the fifth child who was closer to him on the boat. …

The Transitional Legislative Assembly held its first meeting on Tuesday, March 22, during which the mandates of the deputies were validated by acclamation and the president of the new Assembly was elected. Prof Aboubacar Toguyeni will now chair the debates within the Hemicycle and his mission is to contribute to …

More than 6,000 people have fled their homes in Gambia and Senegal following clashes between Senegalese soldiers and separatists near the Gambian border earlier this month, Gambia’s government said Tuesday. The Senegalese military launched an operation on March 13 against rebels fighting for independence in Casamance region, which borders Gambia. …

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has opened a new terminal building at Lagos’ main international airport that has the capacity to process 14 million travellers a year. He said it was part of a larger plan to build five new terminals at five different Nigerian airports, explaining that it was part …

The death of former Malian Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubé Maïga rekindles tensions between Mali and Niger, as President Mohamed Bazoum accuses the Malian authorities of having assassinated the former Prime Minister, which provokes strong reactions in Bamako . “I have just learned with dismay of the death of Soumeylou Boubeye …

The Nigerian government says fully vaccinated travellers coming into the country will no longer be required to take a pre-departure PCR Covid-19 test. This is the first major reversal to the public health safety protocols since Nigeria started seeing a decline in the number of infections. The chairman of the …

One of the Nigerian students who fled the war in Ukraine has died in his hometown of Sokoto in northern Nigeria. It’s not yet clear what exactly caused the death of Huzaifa Habibu. His father, Habibu Halilu Modaci, told the BBC that he was taken to hospital after complaining of …