Africa Media Analysis Report

DECEMBER 2018 - FEBRUARY 2019

Tangaza Africa Media 20 Baker Street, Rosebank 2196 P O Box 1953, Houghton 2041 Tel: +27 11 447 4017 Fax: +27 86 545 7357 email: [email protected] Table of Contents

Table of Contents 2 Overall Scorecard 3 Analysis of daily issue coverage, April 2018 4 Eastern Africa & Great Lakes 5 Analysis of daily issue coverage 5 Politics 10 Economy, Trade & Development 12 Peace, Security & Terrorism 14 Health & Food issues 16 Business & Investments 17 Tourism, Travel & Leisure 19 Science, Technology & Innovation 21 Education, Arts & Culture 22 Entertainment 23 Southern Africa 24 Analysis of daily issue coverage 24 Politics 26 Economy, Trade & Development 28 Health & Food issues 30 Tourism, Travel & Leisure 32 Business & Investments 34 Arts & Culture 36 West Africa 37 Analysis of daily issue coverage 37 Politics 39 Economy, Trade & Development 41 Peace, Security & Terrorism 43 Business & Investments 45 Tourism, Travel & Leisure 46 Health & Food issues 47 Science, Technology & Innovation 48 North Africa 49 Analysis of News Categories 51 Peace, Security & Terrorism 52 Politics 53 Tourism, Travel & Leisure 55 Economy, Trade & Development 56 Business & Investments 57 Arts & Culture 58 Entertainment 59

3 Overall Scorecard

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dŽƵƌŝƐŵ͕dƌĂǀĞůΘ>ĞŝƐƵƌĞ ϭϰϮ ϵϲ ϵϳ ϯϳϴ ϳϭϯ ϭϮ͘Ϯϰ

ĐŽŶŽŵLJ͕dƌĂĚĞΘĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ Ϯϴϴ ϭϯϬ ϴϬ ϵϲ ϱϵϰ ϭϬ͘ϮϬ

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ŶƚĞƌƚĂŝŶŵĞŶƚ ϭϳ ϭϵ ϭϭϴ Ϯϯ ϭϳϳ ϯ͘Ϭϰ

ĚƵĐĂƚŝŽŶ Ϯϭ ϭϮ ϮϮ ϰϳ ϭϬϮ ϭ͘ϳϱ

^ĐŝĞŶĐĞ͕dĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJΘ/ŶŶŽǀĂƚŝŽŶ ϰϵ ϴ ϴ ϭϯ ϳϴ ϭ͘ϯϰ

ƌƚƐΘƵůƚƵƌĞ ϲ ϭϮ ϭϭ Ϯ ϯϭ Ϭ͘ϱϯ

E ϭ͕ϵϭϲ ϵϲϯ ϭ͕Ϭϱϲ ϭ͕ϴϴϴ ϱ͕ϴϮϯ  dŽƚĂů й ϯϮ͘ϵϬ ϭϲ͘ϱϰ ϭϴ͘ϭϯ ϯϮ͘ϰϮ 

East Africa reported the highest media coverage volumes for tion including representatives from the legislative, executive the period December 2018 - February 2019. It was followed and security organs had participated in the 12th Parliamentary closely by southern Africa. Intelligence-Security Forum in Washington. For politics, the core news frames in December mentioned For peace, security & terrorism reports said US forces killed that the US was demanding an immediate end to violence in an estimated 52 members of the militant Islamic terrorist group Cameroon and talks between the government and al Shabab in airstrikes in Jilib, Somalia, US Africa Command Anglophone separatists without preconditions. US deputy reported. In Nigeria, the US of America had warned its citizens in ambassador Jonathan Cohen told the Security Council that Nigeria to be conscious of threats by members of Boko Haram security and humanitarian conditions in the English-speaking and ISIS West Africa. North West and South West regions “had significantly deterio- In Nigeria, reports for tourism, travel & leisure, mentioned that rated.” In DRC, Democratic Republic of Congo’s government for a US visa had been issued to Atiku Abubakar, presidential can- the first time said it was taking seriously the terror threat against didate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). According to US government facilities that had closed the US Embassy in The Cable, a family source confirmed that the former Vice- Kinshasa. President had been issued the visa. Former President Olusegun Core news frames in January mentioned that the US, Britain Obasanjo was also said to have played a “critical role” in getting and the European Union expressed concern after Nigeria’s the visa. president suspended the country’s chief justice three weeks Other reports said an asylum applicant fearing political prose- before the presidential election, with the US warning it could cution in the Ivory Coast had been jailed for nearly three years “cast a pall” over the vote in Africa’s most populous nation. after entering the country illegally, and a judge decided he For peace, security & terrorism reports continued to mention deserves a bail hearing. Adou Kouadio entered the country that the top US diplomat in Africa said the separatist crisis in through an El Paso, Texas, border crossing in February 2016 Cameroon could get much worse, saying the last thing they and was immediately detained pending an asylum hearing. He needed was growing radicalization in response to the actions of had his initial application denied in June 2017 and had security forces. Tibor Nagy, the US assistant secretary of state remained detained amid an appeal of the denial. The written for Africa, said the situation in the Central African nation was ruling by US District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein meant Kouadio worsening by the day. Other reports mentioned that Sudan par- would appear before a judge within two weeks to consider if he ticipated in security forum in Washington. A Sudanese delega- could be freed.

3 Overall Scorecard

In Economy, trade & development reports mentioned that an reported symptoms of haemorrhagic fever in the country’s east- Egyptian court acquitted 40 NGO workers in the re-trial of a case ern provinces that shared borders with Rwanda, Uganda and that had caused tension with the United States. Media reports South Sudan. Some 37,000 people had been vaccinated in the also indicated that Ethiopia’s Export to US Under AGOA outbreak zone since Aug. 8. Increased. The country experienced the largest increase exports In Entertainment, Netflix’s largest-ever price hike in the history in the period under review, according to USAID East Africa of the global video streaming service won’t affect South Africa. Trade and Investment Hub. On a recent between the scenes segment on The Daily Show, In Economy, Trade & Development reports said Ethiopia’s Trevor Noah said he could not let biltong go to waste when he export under AGOA had jumped by 62% between October left South Africa for the US. An audience member asked Trevor if 2017 and September 2018. The country experienced the larg- he brought any souvenirs from South Africa to the US, when est increase exports in the period under review, according to Trevor explained what biltong was and how he couldn’t take USAID East Africa Trade and Investment Hub. meat through customs at the airport. Ethiopia’s export under AGOA had jumped by 62% between In Entertainment, Kenyan actor Peter Junior Nyong’o was set October 2017 and September 2018. Sudan’s President Omar to debut as an actor in the US by tackling the titular prince in al-Bashir told a rally of thousands of supporters he would stay in Orlando Shakes’ new production of Hamlet. In Egypt, Rami power, as protesters massed a few miles away calling for him to Malek’s relatives in Egypt huddled around a TV set at home as if quit over an economic crisis. The US lifted 20-year-old trade cheering the national soccer team, but they were celebrating sanctions on Sudan in October 2017. his first best actor Oscar for his role in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” In Business & Investments, Egypt’s wood industry had poten- The US announced its intention to support Liberia’s Pro-Poor tial to export to US, Europe, Africa. The Strategic Marketing and Agenda, with a planned budget of approximately U$112 million Exhibitions company had concluded the fourth edition of the for the 2018 fiscal year. The planned support for Liberia was Cairo Wood Show platform under the patronage of the ministry announced in a Joint Statement of Collaboration between the of trade and industry from the 30 November of to 3 December Governments of Liberia and the US and released December 13. with the participation of 175 companies from 24 countries, Science, Technology & Innovation received minor coverage. headed by US amongst others. Reports said two female Kenyan students had been selected for Kenya was set to commission a green chewing gum factory a six-month internship program by giant American aerospace by US-based Mars Wrigley mid this year. Wrigley said it had company Boeing International. The two, Aogah Winnie Achieng adopted the latest construction technology that ensured the and Monica Nyawira Kang’uru, had been chosen to join facility was energy efficient, pollution free and people friendly. Boeing’s International Business Internship Program (IBIP), which Rwanda government had entered into a $400M agreement was launched in 2012. with Gasmeth Energy to extract and process methane gas from Rwandan researcher Aristide Gumyusenge was the lead Lake Kivu. author of the paper and graduate researcher at the same univer- Health & Food issues, In Namibia, the US government would sity. In Morocco, reports mentioned that there was growing provide an additional $1.2bn to SA’s HIV/AIDS programmes interest in nuclear power across several African countries. over the next two years in a bid to help the country bring its epi- Reports on Arts & Culture said a book titled, Preservation of demic under control. Describing SA as at a “crisis point”, US Ndebele Art and Architecture, was launched at the Amagugu global AIDS co-ordinator Deborah Birx said the country would International Cultural Centre by US Ambassador to Zimbabwe have 10-million people living with HIV by 2030 if it did not find a Brian Nichols. The book documented the My Beautiful Home way to stem the tide of new infections. The US would provide an painting competition and was funded to the tune of $42 000 by additional $1.2bn to SA’s HIV/Aids programmes over the next the State Department Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural two years in an urgent bid to control the epidemic. Preservation. For Health and Food issues, reports indicated that the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC was the second largest in history and the worst the country had ever seen. At least 658 people

4 Issue Coverage Analysis

Analysis of daily issue coverage, September - November 2018

East Africa North Africa Southern Africa West Africa 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1-Dec 9-Dec 17-Dec 25-Dec 2-Jan 10-Jan 18-Jan 26-Jan 3-Feb 11-Feb 19-Feb 27-Feb

East Africa tined for the port of Mombasa diverted to other destinations fol- Reports sad East Africa, supported by the USAID-Hub, reached lowing a recent security alert raised by the US government. nearly $1 billion in exports to the US under AGOA between Rwanda signed a $400 million deal to produce bottled gas October 2017 and September 2018. Ethiopia’s export to the US from Lake Kivu. Other reports said a group of US investors took under AGOA rose 62% in just one year. Rwanda to an international court, seeking compensation of $95 The US said it planned to reduce its military presence in million after the government seized their mining concessions, Somalia and cut the number of airstrikes against Al-Shabaab mil- effectively denying them operating licences. itants. President Trump announced that US troops would be President Paul Kagame addressed a gathering of over 300 sent to Gabon, in anticipation of “violent” demonstrations in the business leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina in the US, where he DRC if and when the results of the December 30 presidential said that Rwanda had put behind the tragedies of the past election were announced. decades to shape a better future. The US warned of a possible terror attack from unsecured bio- The US launched a new, five-year $40 million Health Financing logical agents stored in Kenya’s health facilities and medical Improvement Program to invest in expanding Ethiopia’s capacity research laboratories. to provide quality affordable healthcare to citizens. Former US President Barack Obama’s Power Africa initiative The US National Security Council said Sudan was going gave Kenyan green energy projects over Sh650 million in grants through a complex transition”. Sudanese Prime Minister Mutaz to speed up electrification. Musa and a visiting US delegation had discussed the resump- In mid-January, a former US ambassador to Kenya revealed tion of banking transactions between the two countries. that Kenya’s worst terrorist attack could had been averted and Reports said the US State Department and USAID would invest the aftermath handled better. President Uhuru Kenyatta more than $500 million in Somalia this year. announced that he was partnering with US President Donald Other reports said Kenya’s Mwale Medical and Technology Trump in an Initiative dubbed Prosper Africa. The US Dept of City got US$40 million in American support. State said an American was killed when gunfire and explosions erupted at a high-end hotel complex in Nairobi. West Africa In Uganda, oil and gas industry was expected to rake in invest- US officials said Nigeria’s upcoming national elections would ments worth over $1 billion this year. be “a critical test of democracy” and was expressing concern at Kenya’s Mastermind Tobacco entered into negotiations that reports of intimidation and partisanship by government security could see it sell a majority stake to US Philip Morris International forces. The US, EU and UK decried violence in the elections and Inc, the world’s largest tobacco company by sales. vowed to deny visas to those responsible. Former US President Kyle McCarter replaced ambassador Robert Godec as US Bill Clinton canceled his trip to Nigeria ahead of general elec- ambassador to Kenya. tions, saying the visit could be “politicized.” US intelligence offi- Kenya reportedly lost 2,000 tourists after two cruise ships des- cials warned Nigeria of a massive influx of immigrants from

5 Issue Coverage Analysis

Analysis of daily issue coverage, September - November 2018

Chad, Niger Cameroon and Sudan for electoral malpractices. meeting in Cairo. Egypt was keen on continuing its strategic rela- After the elections, the US ambassador to Nigeria praised the tions with the US, praising the support and the military assistance country on its presidential election, saying that “the peaceful provided by Washington over the past three decades. achievement of millions was overshadowed by the violence of a Reports said Morocco was among the destinations that few.” The envoy urged all the candidates in the elections to hon- American travelers had been fancying in 2018. Morocco con- our the peace accord they signed in the run-up to the elections. firmed participation in US Mideast Conference amid tension. In Libya, a joint US-Libyan forces raided an al-Qaeda site in Ubari. Other reports said that the US would halt military assistance to Three leading universities in Egypt would partner with American Cameroon over allegations of gross human rights violations by its universities to create Centers of Excellence in energy, water, and security forces. The US embassy in Cameroon asked the govern- agriculture. ment to probe a deadly hospital arson that claimed four lives at the Kumba District hospital. Southern Africa A US observer mission said a week-long delay in holding Mozambique’s former finance minister, Manuel Chang, was Nigeria’s presidential election damaged public confidence in the arrested in SA at the request of the US. process and probably reduced voter turnout. The US ambassador A SA technology start-up company RapidDeploy was spreading to Nigeria praised the country on its presidential election, saying its wings, in reaction to strong demand from its growing US cus- that “the peaceful achievement of millions was overshadowed by tomer base, opening its US headquarters in Austin, Texas. the violence of a few.” The ANC called for the lifting of sanctions against neighboring The US announced it was imposing visa restrictions on Ghana, Zimbabwe by the US. In Zambia, the Association of African accusing the African country of not cooperating in accepting its Americans in the fire service pledged to set up a fund to train citizens ordered to be removed from the US. Ghana’s foreign min- Zambians in firefighting and other fields of study. istry denied US allegations of non-cooperation in taking back Early February, SA expressed disappointment on after the US thousands of its deported nationals, which had led to visa restric- and other Western powers wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa tions. urging him to tackle corruption and said those countries had In Sierra Leone, US Embassy in Freetown welcomed a group of breached diplomatic protocol. four firefighters from Bloomington, Indiana as part of the Young In Zimbabwe, President Emmerson Mnangagwa accused west- African Leadership Initiative (YALI) reciprocal exchange program. ern countries including the US of supporting violent countrywide Investors drawn from the Nigerian private and public sectors protests last month that were sparked by a huge rise in fuel prices. were set to meet with their counterparts in the US to discuss avail- The American Bar Association expressed concern at the ongoing able technological opportunities in the emerging markets. unrest in Zimbabwe, which human rights groups said had result- ed in the death of at least 12 people, allegedly by the army during North Africa protests against fuel price hikes. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi discussed the stability of Zimbabwe sent a delegation to Washington, DC, to apprise US the Middle East with US President Donald Trump. Egypt asked officials on positive developments the country had achieved in CBS not to air an interview with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in recent months. The US slammed police repression in Zimbabwe, which he discussed co-operation with Israel in the fight against weeks after security forces crushed protests in January. Sinai jihadists. In South Africa, US-based Institute of Real Estate Management US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the Cathedral of the (IREM) officially launched its first African Chapter at the Sandton birth of Christ in the New Administrative Capital as part of sev- Convention Centre in Johannesburg increasing its global foot- en-country visit to the Middle East in Egypt. print to 15 international chapters and over 20 0000 individual In Libya, a report showed that around 49,686 thousand Libyans members. registered for the US Diversity Visa Lottery program in 2018. Reports said the Forgarty International Centre gave a $3 million Egypt’s Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki discussed military grant to the University of Zimbabwe to strengthen research and cooperation and the exchange of military expertise with com- training at UZ’s health sciences departments. mander of the US Central Command General Joseph Votel in a

6 Eastern Africa

Summary of daily issue coverage 

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Politics ed a great victory for the Congolese people and that the mission Kenya was scheduled to be named by US President Donald wished that the results declared would be true to the vote of the Trump’s administration as an anchor country for its new African Congolese people. Policy. The move was reportedly an attempt by the US to inhibit The Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) rejected any negotiated the growing power by other countries like China and Russia in solution with the government of President Omer al-Bashir and Africa. Other countries expected to be named alongside Kenya denounced US contacts with the Sudanese opposition to were Somalia, Libya and Mali. ensure a soft-landing for his regime. Al-Bashir was condemned President Donald Trump said military personnel were deployed after he was criticised for not doing enough to aid the country’s to Central Africa in advance of possible “violent demonstrations” plummeting economic status. in the DRC over results of the presidential election. Trump’s letter In Kenya, the US Senate voted to confirm Kyle McCarter as to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said about 80 military personnel Washington’s new envoy to Kenya. The 56-year-old founder of a and “appropriate combat equipment” were deployed to nearby Kenya-based charity secured the post nine months after he had Gabon to support the security of US citizens and staffers and been nominated by President Donald Trump as the successor to diplomatic facilities in Congo. Ambassador Robert Godec. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta The US re-established its permanent diplomatic residence in announced that he was partnering with US President Donald Somalia, which had been closed in Mogadishu since early 1991, Trump in an Initiative dubbed Prosper Africa. the State Department announced. State Department spokes- woman, Heather Nauert said the Embassy on Jan. 5, 1991, was Peace, Security & Terrorism closed off as fighting between the Somali government and reb- Significant reports said Somali Islamist group Al Shabaab had els escalated in Mogadishu. arrested scores of people, including some of its fighters, whom it The South Sudan government had protested the new US sanc- said were collaborating with the U.S, a day after US military car- tions and the termination of financial support. Foreign ministry ried out a self-defence air strike in west Mogadishu. spokesman Mawien Makol told a news conference in Juba that The US warned of a possible terror attack from unsecured bio- the move by Washington was unjustifiable and a threat to the logical agents stored in Kenya’s health facilities and medical diplomatic relations between the two states. research laboratories. The warning, contained in a Ministry of In the DRC, Results from chaotic presidential election could be Health document released last month, revealed ongoing private delayed past the deadline because counting centres were still efforts to secure pathogens stored at the Kenya Medical waiting for more than 80% of local tallies, the electoral commis- Research Institute (Kemri). sion said. The AU said the handling of these elections constitut- Reports said Sudan’s government was ready to work more

7 Eastern Africa

Summary of daily issue coverage closely with the US on regional security issues in a bid to per- Washington for Sudan’s economic woes. The US had imposed a suade Washington to take it off its terrorism blacklist, a diplomat trade embargo on Khartoum in 1997 that was lifted only in in Khartoum told the Middle East Eye newspaper. October 2017 – restricting Sudan from conducting international Significant reports said a terrorist attack at Kenyan luxury hotel business and financial transactions. claimed the life of 15 people. The attack was linked to extremist Reports highlighted the US-China trade war and how it was al-Shabab. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, based in neighbouring affecting other markets across the world. African heads of state Somalia, asserted that 47 people were killed but gave no details were said to have raced to sign deal after deal with China run- from its Shahada news agency. A US State Department spokes- ning into billions of dollars, further sinking their poor countries person said the US condemned the “senseless act of violence” at into unmanageable debts. Kenya was among the highest indebt- an upscale hotel in Kenya’s capital. ed countries to China in Africa and its debt stood at Sh980 billion In Somalia, US especial forces accompanied by Somali troops as at the end of 2017. conducted a night raid on civilian houses near Janalle town, some 94 km from Somali capital Mogadishu. Tourism, Travel & Leisure Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir told a rally of thousands of The Standard reported that Kenya Airways in 2019, would scale supporters that he would stay in power, as protesters gathered down its daily flights between Nairobi and the US (New York) calling for him to quit over the country’s economic crisis. from seven times a week to five, the company’s chief executive officer said. The airline CEO, Sebastian Mikosz said the decision Economy, Trade & Development was informed by IATA winter schedule and not low passenger The World Trade Center Arkansas invited Arkansas companies volume in the new route. on a trade mission to Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia from Jan. 20 Other Reports said a US PE firm was in the country scouting for to Feb. 1 201, to grow bilateral trade and tourism opportunities wealthy Kenyans to invest their way into an American citizenship for the state, grow international sales and build partnerships. through the US immigrant investor visa programme. Kenya alongside other African countries were lauded for housing In its continued efforts to promote Uganda as Africa’s premier 10 fastest growing countries in the world and with US trade in tourist destination, the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) was set to Africa having tripled over the past 10 years. participate in the New York Times Travel Show scheduled to take Kenyan sports equipment seller Craig’s Ltd inked a distribution place from January 25-27, 2019 in New York, USA. The Board agreement with US golf equipment maker Taylormade Golf. will, alongside Uganda’s Market Destination Representative in Craig’s, which operated an outlet in Nairobi’s Sarit Centre. The North America (PHG Group) and 8 Uganda tour operators, repre- exclusive deal would see it import and stock golf equipment, sent the country at the New York Times Travel Show which was including golf balls, clubs and bags from the California-based considered the biggest travel show in North America. manufacturer. The East African reported that a year after the US removed Health & Food issues decade-long economic sanctions on Sudan, the country was in An American physician providing aid in the Democratic talks with American and Russian firms to build a bigger oil refin- Republic of the Congo (DRC) for the Ebola outbreak, was quar- ery at its main port on the Red Sea. antined after it was suspected that he could be exposed to the In Ethiopia, reports said the country’s export under AGOA had virus. The doctor, whose name was currently being withheld, jumped by 62% between October 2017 and September 2018. was flown from the DRC to Omaha, Nebraska in order to undergo The country experienced the largest increase exports, according monitoring and treatment, if necessary, a press release from the to USAID East Africa Trade and Investment Hub. East African University of Nebraska Medical Center said. countries supported by the USAID-Hub reached nearly one bil- The US embassy offered Sh 1.4 billion to Kenya to help with lion dollars in exports to the US under AGOA in the period under food provision for refugees. In a press statement, the embassy review. through the USAID, contributed the money to the United Nations In Sudan, protest demonstrations in Darfur were the first of their World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food assistance to kind since unrest erupted last month over a government deci- more than 400,000 refugees living in northern Kenya. WFP sion to triple the price of bread. The protests escalated into Country Director and Representative in Kenya, Annalisa Conte, nationwide rallies widely seen as a response to the country’s noted that funding of the refugees’ food basket had remained dilapidating economy. Bashir and other officials blamed low.

8 Significant reports said the current Ebola outbreak in the Entertainment Democratic Republic of the Congo was the second largest in histo- US gospel artist Donnie McClurkin, who was set to perform in ry and the worst the country hd ever seen. Data from the US Nairobi, was hospitalized after surviving a car accident. In a post Centres for Disease Control and Prevention elaborated by stating shared on Facebook, McClurkin thanked people in Nairobi who that the rising number of cases in the ongoing epidemic had were praying for him and said his message to them was “come let exceeded that of the 2000 outbreak in Uganda. us rejoice in the Lord always”. Uganda’s Health minister, Ruth Aceng, said they were in cahoots US-based Ethiopian singer Meklit Hadero co-founded the Nile with the US government to set up a tracking system to monitor Project to promote intercultural dialogue and cooperation between Uganda’s drug supply chain in order to reduce shortage and spill- citizens of the Nile basin, and inspire cultural curiosity. age in hospitals around the country. The minister said the medi- Ugandan acapella group, The Harmonics Uganda, were praised cines and health supplies, which included antibiotics and intrave- for bringing an “African touch” to America’s Got Talent, a televised nous fluids, were allotted to health facilities in the country for distri- US talent competition. The all-male six-member group, who sang bution. gospel, had reportedly started off their musical journey eight years ago. The group said their African touch gave them a unique feel of Business & Investments music – which was something the judges complimented them on. US PE firm in Kenya was scouting for wealthy Kenyans to invest The group was slated to tour 18 US states, including Georgia, their way into an American citizenship through the US immigrant Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. investor visa programme. Interested locals would have to produce Sh51 million ($500,000) in order to qualify for the investor visa, Education commonly known as EB-5 preference visa. Two Kenyan students were chosen to join US Boeing’s The 100-MW Kipeto wind project in Kajiado, Kenya reached finan- International Business Internship Program (IBIP). 60 Rwandese stu- cial close from London-based private equity firm Actis, which now dents were selected to join the first cohort of the inaugural US soft- held an 88% stake in the scheme, according to reports. The US gov- ware programming school, adding impetus to the country’s efforts ernment’s OPIC was the principal lender to the project. to become a regional tech hub. US fast food franchise Burger King was set to open a new branch A new medical university in Rwanda was set to launch called The in Lavington in a few months, increasing the store count in Kenya to University of Global Health Equity. Reports said the facility would five. Burger King opened its first local restaurant at The Hub (Karen) compete with the US with regards to its stellar technological stand- in November 2016 under an agreement with NAS Airport Services. ing and provided graduates with the opportunity to provide medi- cal assistance offered globally. Science, Technology & Innovation In Kenya, eleven change makers, amongst them a Kenyan organi- Arts & Culture zation – Stephanie Dolrenry, US/Kenya, biodiversity: LINC – an AI Business Daily released a piece on the trade marking of the assisted Collaborative Database for Lion Identification and Inter- Kiswahili slogan ‘hakuna matata’ by Disneyland in the US which Organizational Research – were selected to receive Microsoft and raised concern on the misappropriation of the cultural heritage of National Geographic AI for Earth Innovation Grants to apply artificial Kenyans. The author emphasised the need to establish a structured intelligence (AI) to help understand and protect the planet. legal framework to protect the nations cultural heritage. Former US President Barack Obama’s Power Africa initiative show- In Uganda, the Children of the World International Choir visited ered Kenyan green energy projects with grants totalling Sh650 mil- Edgewood Baptist Church as part of its 2018-2019 Refuge + lion to speed up electrification. Obama launched Power Africa as a Strength tour. The Choir had been touring the US for over two policy tool to unlock and activate investments in the continent’s decades. energy space as a way of driving out energy poverty.

9 Eastern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Politics

160

140

120

100

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60

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0 Sudan DRC Kenya Somalia South Rwanda Uganda Ethiopia Tanzania Sudan

Substantial reports said that Kenya was named as “anchor” due to crime, terrorism, and piracy. According to US, Somalia country for Africa policy which US president Donald Trump was unstable and dangerous. recently unveiled. DRC Roman Catholic Church said the church knew who Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta met with US Assistant had won a much-delayed presidential vote and urged the Secretary for African Affairs, Tibor Peter Nagy, and discussed electoral commission to publish the truth. US demanded the ways of expanding the Kenya-US partnerships in peace, release of correct election results. US also called on the DRC security and trade. Kenyatta voiced the need for Kenya and authorities to remove restrictions on internet access. the US to strengthen their trade and investment ties, saying Numerous reports said that the DRC authorities confirmed the potential for cooperation in this area was not fully exploit- that the US embassy in DRC had been closed due to specific ed. information of a possible terrorist threat. Other reports said US Kyle McCarter was President Donald Trump’s choice as the told Voice of America that a threat from a group affiliated with next US ambassador to Kenya. McCarter moved closer to Islamic State was responsible for the closing of the US securing US ambassador to Kenya post when a US Senate Embassy in DRC. The US deployed troops to Gabon in antici- panel voted to support Trump nomination. pation of violent protests in the DRC. America said that they Other reports noted that the former leader of Somalia’s were worried about reports that Sudan’s security forces had al-Shabab terrorist group, who had a top candidate in a used live ammunition against demonstrators demanding that regional 2018 December elections was arrested for prompt- Sudan President Omar Al Bashir to step down. ing violent protests in which four people were killed. Other reports said that the Sudanese Communist Party The US State Department official reportedly focused on (SCP) rejected any negotiated solution with the government drug crimes had, and deprecated lack of accountability for of President Omer al-Bashir and denounced US contacts with corrupt activities within Kenya’s criminal justice system. the Sudanese opposition to ensure a soft-landing for The department renewed a “permanent diplomatic pres- President Omer al-Bashir regime. ence” in Somalia, nearly 30 years after the US Embassy was A diplomat in Khartoum told Middle East Eye that Sudan’s closed as a civil war raged in the country. government was ready to work more closely with the US on America warned its citizens not to travel to Somalia after 25 regional security issues in a bid to persuade US to take it off people were killed and 40 others injured in double suicide its terrorism blacklist. bomb explosion claimed by Al Shabaab group in Somalia. US Rwanda government officials said their courts were capable State Department urged its citizens not to travel to Somalia enough to try Diane Rwigara, a critic of President Paul

10 Politics

Kagame, and asked the US to stop interfering with the court pro- of al-Shabaab militants against Somali National Army Forces on cess. Rwigara and her mother Adeline faced charges of inciting January 19. The US military said they assessed the airstrike killed insurrection, promoting sectarianism and forgery of electoral fifty-two (52) militants and that they assessed that no civilians documents. were killed or injured in the strike. The US urged its nationals to exercise caution while in Tanzania Numerous reports stated that the US condemned the use of live due to concerns over crime, terrorism and official actions target- fire and the excessive use of tear gas by the Sudanese security ing people based on their gender or sexual identity. forces during the protests due to inflation. In January, US Department of State issued its first post-poll Significant frames stated that US troops deployed to the central statement on the DRC’s December 30 elections 2018. The state- African nation of Gabon in response to prospective violence in ment hailed the Congolese people who started a process of neighbouring DRC remained committed to their mission of pro- actualizing the first peaceful transfer of political power in sub-Sa- tecting American diplomatic assets in the region. haran Africa’s largest nation. Various reports stated that two permanent members of the DRC Roman Catholic Church said they knew who had won the Security Council the US and UK showed no appetite to fund the presidential vote and urged the electoral commission to publish peace process in South Sudan. Xinhua reported that senior the truth. South Sudanese officials said the international community was US President Donald ordered 80 troops to Gabon to protect US now keen to finance the implementation of a peace deal, this citizens and embassy officials from possible violent protests in came as results of improving relation between the South the DRC. Other reports said US recognized Felix Tshisekedi as Sudanese government and the troika countries which comprised the next president of DRC, casting aside concerns over the elec- of the US and others. tion as it welcomed a historic peaceful transfer of power. Media reports described how a network of jointly owned The aid community financed by US in Burundi was split over Uganda and US companies-controlled by British, Israeli, the government’s demand for international NGOs to disclose the Ugandan, and US nationals procured a military jet from the US ethnic breakdown of its local staff. There was hesitation over and an Austrian-made surveillance aircraft. which organizations were eligible to operate in the country. In February, reports said US policy toward Somalia was The US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants congratulated anchored in the idea that a unitary Somalia best stabilizes the Ethiopia’s new refugee law that permitted refugees to obtain country and enabled it to secure its territory. This had been the work permits, access primary education, obtain drivers’ licenses, assumption for generations of policymakers. US State legally register life events such as births and marriages and open Department and USAID said that they would invest more than access to national financial services, such as banking. $500 million in Somalia. US and USAID said that the funds would US Council confirmed Kyle McCarter as the US Ambassador to restore prosperity and stability to Somalia. Kenya. The approval of McCarter came after the US Senate In other news, a US citizen Abdi Yusuf Hassan was charged Foreign Relations Committee endorsed the 56-year-old for the with kidnapping for his alleged role in the abduction of a free- significant position. lance journalist who was held hostage in Somalia for almost The sentencing date for Kenyan Akasha brothers, who pleaded three years. Hassan was born in Mogadishu and a naturalised US guilty to drug-trafficking charges in US, was postponed. The US citizen. He was arrested and would be returned to US to face federal judge announced that the sentencing which was sched- charges. uled for 1 February would be on 15 March 2019. Reuters said that US, Britain, and Norway jointly expressed their al-Shabab launched a deadly attack on Kenyan hotel and busi- alarm about reports of fighting in the Yei River area of South ness complex because of US President Donald Trump’s decision Sudan between government forces and the rebel National to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Salvation Front. A Group of 93 Sudanese scholars, human rights organisations, A US delegation led by the assistant president and senior advi- and leading activists published an open letter strongly urging the sor to Africa at the National Security Council visited Khartoum for US Government to support Sudan uprising, by calling for talks with the Sudanese government about the Sudanese- President Omar Al Bashir to step down and supporting demo- American relations. Other reports said US had condemned the cratic transformation in Sudan. use of force by Sudanese security forces against peaceful pro- The Voice of America reported, citing US and Somali Military testers. Sudan had been gripped by violent protests demanding that scores of al-Qaida-affiliated fighters had been killed during the resignation of long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir. Sudan an attack on a government military base near Somalia’s southern announced that it had released 2,430 protesters from custody. port city of Kismayo. US military operations in Somalia said the airstrike was conducted in response to an attack by a large group

11 Eastern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Economy, Trade & Development

135

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105

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75

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45

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0 Kenya Sudan Rwanda Ethiopia Uganda Tanzania DRC Burundi Somalia

Kenya Airways CEO Sebastian Mikosz said that the airline Ethiopia would be the second or third largest exporter in East would scale down its daily flights between Nairobi to US. Mikosz Africa under AGOA, USAID and US Agency for International said airline remained strongly committed to the New York route Development. and would continue to offer non-stop services to all its guests Sudan and South Sudan would likely to increase crude oil pro- travelling between the two cities. duction for 2019, ESAI Energy’s said on Africa Watch. Sudan Renewables now said that 100-MW Kipeto wind project in government raised the price of a loaf of bread from one Kenya reached financial close, US-based private equity firm Sudanese pound to three. Actis, holds an 88% stake in 100-MW Kipeto wind project. Actis In January, Numerous reports stated that the US imposed a purchased the equity stakes in the wind farm project held by trade embargo on Khartoum in 1997 that was lifted only in the international finance Corp (IFC) and African infrastructure October 2017, which restricted Sudan from conducting interna- investment managers. Kenyan Firm Craftskills wind energy inter- tional business and financial transactions. The veteran leader national had the remaining 12%. accused the US of causing Sudan’s economic woes, but his President Uhuru Kenyatta rooted for stronger ties with the US words had fallen on deaf ears as people struggled to buy even on matters trade and investments. basic foods and medicines. Kenyatta told US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Tibor Numerous reports stated that Kenya’s exports to the US hit a Peter Nagy that the potential for cooperation in the said area fresh record in the three months ending September 2018 after was not fully exploited. Washington and Nairobi signed trade deals late June, data col- Other reports said the government of DRC had begun an audit lected by the statistics office showed. President Donald Trump’s into how radioactive cobalt produced by Glencore’s Kamoto administration had been warming up to Nairobi since mid-2018 copper and cobalt mine was exported without being tracked when Washington sent in two high-powered delegations on locally. trade and security for bilateral talks with authorities in Nairobi. Glencore shed 25% of its market value in 2018, mines copper Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources reported that and cobalt in DRC. Glencore was ordered by the US Department Rwanda’s cassava production increased to more than 1.127 mil- of Justice to hand over documents about its business in the lion tonnes in 2018 from 1.041 million tonnes in 2017. The DRC as part of a corruption probe. Standard reported that Rwanda was at loggerheads with the US Ethiopia’s export under AGOA reportedly increased by 62% over its decision to phase out used clothes from its market by between October 2017 and September 2018. If it continues 2019, hitting second-hand clothes with higher tariffs.

12 Economy, Trade & Development

FXstreet.com reported that in 2017, the US had a $39.0 bil- country as the declining volumes cut earnings. Numerous lion in total goods trade with Sub-Saharan African countries reports stated that Entrepreneurs Society of America and a trade deficit of $10.8 billion; Chairman Karl Gibbons spoke to Investors in Nairobi at the America’s largest export markets were in Ethiopia and other Entrepreneurs Summit. He said though blue chip companies East African countries. were still attracted to Kenya, only small business would grow Significant frames reported that Uganda’s oil and gas indus- the economy. Other reports stated that Kenya was in a good try was expected to rake in investments worth over US$ 1 bil- position to benefit from the expected increase in US commer- lion in 2019, according to senior energy ministry officials. cial interest. Building on their extensive security relationship, East Africa Trade and Investment Hub reported that Kenya and the US were likely to step up trade-related talks in Tanzanian products that could enter the US market under the coming years. African Growth and Opportunity Act agreement include tex- Significant report stated that despite the lifting of 20-year US tiles and apparels, specialty foods, footwear, cut flowers, economic sanctions on Sudan in 2017, the local currency lost home décor and fashion accessories. its value and the country had been hit by a shortage of oil and According to 2017 numbers from the US Geological Survey, foreign exchange and raise the price of breads. News24.com the DRC supplied about 58% of global cobalt, 34.5% of tin and reported that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir had regular- 28.5% of tantalum. The US labelled all three as critical metals. ly blamed the country’s economic woes on the US, which Tin and tantalum, along with tungsten and gold were the imposed a trade embargo on Sudan in 1997. DRC’s chief conflict metals. Rwanda said it had signed a $400 million deal to produce The Nation reported that Somalia’s promotion of free trade bottled gas from Lake Kivu, which emits such dense clouds of agreements with the US communicated African transparency, methane it was known as one of Africa’s “Killer Lakes”. The fairness and good governance attracted US investment and report added that the project by Gasmeth Energy, owned by hoped to negotiate a first-ever Free Trade Agreement with a US, Nigerian and Rwandese businessmen, would suck gas Sub-Saharan African country. from the lake’s deep floor and bottle it for use as fuel. Monitor reported that exports from East Africa (Burundi) to The US Commerce Department imposed trade restrictions the US reached about $1b between October 2017 and on Sudanese joint ventures in with Chinese National September 2018, a 17% increase from the same period in Petroleum Co, the Indian Oil and Natural Gas Corp, and 2018. Malaysia’s Petronas. In February, Significant frames stated that US sanctions on Iran were taking a toll on Kenyan tea sales to the Middle East

13 Eastern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Peace, Security & Terrorism

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0 Somalia Kenya Sudan South DRC Uganda Ethiopia Sudan

The US Africa Command (Africom) said the collective oil prices to encourage potential investors to venture into self-defence airstrike which was carried in cooperation with Sudan; that a deal was secured with the US to remove Sudan the Somali government targeted al-Shabab militants in the from the list of states sponsoring terrorism (LSST) and making vicinity of Basra in southern Somalia. Africom said the desired use of lessons gained during the previous oil boom in Sudan. end state in East Africa was one in which terrorist organiza- Significant reports stated that the US Treasury Department tions cannot destabilize Somalia and its neighbouring states, imposed sanctions on three individuals it accused of nor threaten the interests of the US and its international allies “expanding or extending” the conflict in South Sudan. The US in the region. The Star reported that the US military said it accused South Sudanese businessman Obac William Olawo, killed eight members of the al-Shabab extremist group with for importing armoured vehicles for the South Sudan govern- an airstrike south of Somalia’s capital. The Star further stated ment and identified one of his entities as having transported that American forces had been back operating in Somalia for soldiers, arms and equipment to support a government offen- more than a decade. sive. Reports added that South Sudan gained its indepen- Numerous reports stated that Kenya was set to be named dence and the Obama administration oversaw a major effort “anchor” country for other African countries as the US to create a formal South Sudanese military. unveiled its Africa policy. The source added that the meeting Significant reports stated that the US Embassy in the DRC discussed the deepening of Kenya-US partnerships in peace, had been closed for over a week due to “credible” terror security and trade. The Star reported that the US had prom- threat against US government facilities in the capital. Other ised to support Kenya on its war on corruption and backed reports stated that the US Embassy in the DRC reopened after the efforts made so far to prosecute suspects. Assistant being closed when US operatives obtained intelligence that Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs Tibor Nagy an ISIS affiliate might be planning an attack on American said the efforts were key to the development of the country assets in the region. and the engagement of Kenya and the US. On security, Newstime Africa reported that Uganda’s government, a key President Kenyatta said Kenya and the US faced similar US security ally in the region was complicit in the diversion of threats so the cooperation they had cultivated over the years ammunition shipped to it from Romania and Slovakia in 2015. would be beneficial. Monitor reported that US congressmen and lawyers had con- Significant reports stated that there were three factors that demned what they called arbitrary arrests and persecution by were going to impact the oil sector in Sudan: the recovery of the Ugandan security agencies after police reportedly raided

14 Peace, Security & Terrorism a hotel in which Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi had The jihadists were recruited by the Kenyan branch of Al booked. US Congressman Bradley Sherman said the Shabaab, known as Al-Hijra, which the US State Department Ugandan government must commit to essential principles of said had openly recruited in Kenya and facilitated transport to freedom of speech. Somalia for “terrorism purposes”. Business Daily reported that Significant reports stated that rebellious soldiers were a rare Kenya lost some 2,000 tourists after two cruise ships destined sight in Ethiopia, a key US security ally. Minor internet news for the Port of Mombasa diverted to other destinations follow- reported that the relationship between the US and its long- ing a recent security alert raised by the US government. time staunch ally in the Horn of Africa, was on shifting Various reports stated that Sudanese Prime Minister Mutaz ground; largely because US foreign policy was focused less Musa and a visiting US delegation had discussed the on the global war on terrorism. Reports added that since resumption of banking transactions between the two coun- 2001, and as the fight against terror developed, the US and tries. The report further stated that the visiting delegation was Ethiopia had forged a strong bilateral relationship based led by the Special Assistant to the US President and Senior largely on the latter’s large professional and capable army Director for Africa at the National Security Council (NSC), Cyril and ability to project both hard and soft power regionally. Sartor. Following the meeting, Sudan’s State Foreign Minister The Nation reported that the State Department had urged Osama Faisal told reporters the two sides discussed the tra- US citizens to “exercise increased caution” whilst in Tanzania jectory of the Sudanese-US dialogue, saying the delegation due to concerns over crime, terrorism and official actions tar- expressed its country’s keenness to move forward with the geting people based on their gender or sexual identity. dialogue. In January, Kenya received most coverage on Peace, News Ghana reported that the national trauma awareness Security and Terrorism due to the terrorism attack in the peri- festival under the theme “Reconnecting South Sudan od under review. A former US ambassador to the county Communities through Theatre” was supported by the South revealed in a new book that the Kenya’s worst terrorist attack Sudan Theatre Organization and US Agency for International could had been averted and the aftermath handled better. Development (USAID). Reuters reported that the United Various reports stated that Al-Shabaab had claimed respon- States, Britain and Norway jointly expressed their alarm at sibility for the terror attack in Nairobi in which at least 14 peo- reports of fighting in the Yei River area of South Sudan ple were killed, and scores injured. A US State Department between government forces and the rebel National Salvation official confirmed a US citizen was killed in an attack on a Front. hotel and office complex in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Al Jazeera reported that police in the Democratic Republic Numerous reports stated that an American businessman of Congo denied the allegations that were in a report pub- Jason Spindler survived the September 11 attacks in New lished by the US-based rights group. The report, based on York only to die in the Kenya terrorism attack. interviews with nearly 80 witnesses, victims’ family members, In February, Numerous reports stated that 24 Al-Shabaab security officials and others, adds to previous allegations that militants were killed in an air strike launched by the US mili- Kinshasa police executed suspected gang members. tary in central Somalia. The Africa Command (Africom) said in Minor internet news reported that the US Air Forces Africa, a statement that no civilians were believed to have been along with the Rwandan Defence Force were hosting an killed or injured in the air strike. Al Shabaab retained a strong African Partnership Flight in Kigali, Rwanda, 4-8 March 2019. presence in parts of southern and central Somalia, the US military also stepped up air strikes over 2018 in support of a U.N.-backed government in the region. The US military launched a similar strike that killed 52 Islamists who attacked a Somali military base.

15 Eastern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Health & Food issues

45

40

35

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25

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0 DRC Kenya Ethiopia Uganda Tanzania Rwanda

In December, US provided medical assistance in the DRC on to monitor the drug supply chain, in order to reduce on short- exposure to the Ebola virus experienced in 2018. DRC was age and spillage in hospitals around the country. Aceng provoked with an expanding Ebola virus outbreak, which added that they were working together with the US govern- claimed 356 as of December 2018. The UN and World Health ment and they would introduce a tracking tool and it would Organization said that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC became be in all their facilities not later than June. the second worst in the country. Media reports stated that South Sudan benefited from the On World AIDS Day, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute Vaccine Alliance, Gavi which was a public-private partnership, (EPHI) the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in addition to the Ebola vaccine also provided US$2 million to (PEPFAR), the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention support the WHO’s vaccination program. (CDC) and ICAP at Columbia University (ICAP) released new Other reports said that USAID described Somalia since 1991 survey data demonstrating Ethiopia’s progress in confronting as a collapsed state and had experienced chronic food inse- HIV epidemic. USAID reportedly donated US$14.3 million to curity, widespread violence and recurring droughts and the WFP to feed more than 400,000 refugees in northern floods. Kenya. In February, a unique project in the DRC was making strides Rwanda made headlines as the first country to pilot blood in breaking down community resistance toward efforts to deliveries by drone made in US-based company Zipline. contain the spread of Ebola virus. IFRC teamed up with the US World Health Organization said over 1,000 health care Centers for Disease Control to analyse and implement new and frontline workers had been vaccinated in Uganda strategies to tackle major concerns of people faced with this DRC Health experts on the Ugandan side of the border said dreaded disease. that the US government had placed strong measures to com- The US launched a five-year $40 million Health financing bat the disease just in case it spreads to Uganda. improvement program to invest in expanding Ethiopia’s In January, the DRC received most media coverage due to capacity to provide quality affordable healthcare. the Ebola outbreak. CNN reported that Ministry of Health stat- Several reports stated that US Innova Eco Building System ed that DRC had reached a grim new milestone in the Ebola entered into an agreement to build a US$40 million manufac- outbreak, with the total number of probable patients was 608 turing plant bringing its green building technology to Mwale and 368 deaths. World Health Organization stated that the Medical and Technology City (MMTC) in Kenya. outbreak was the second-deadliest and second-largest in his- Benjamin Mkapa Hospital gave thousands of residents in tory. Tanzania brighter smiles and clearer vision through its Eye Numerous reports stated that Ugandan Health minister Ruth Clinic conducted jointly with the Moran Eye Centre of the Aceng said the government was to set up a tracking system University of Utah and University of Dodoma.

16 Eastern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Business & Investments

70

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0 Kenya Rwanda Uganda Tanzania DRC Ethiopia

In December, Business Daily reported that US private equity cussions with the new American Deputy Secretary for East fund Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) had acquired a majority Africa, Makila James. The report added that during the meet- stake in Nairobi-based hospitality chain Artcaffé Group for an ing that took place at State House Entebbe, the President and undisclosed amount. The Nation reported that an American his guest discussed how Uganda and the US of America PE firm was in the country scouting for wealthy Kenyans to would work together to increase and promote investment and invest their way into an American citizenship through the US infrastructure development in Uganda. Ambassador Makila immigrant investor visa programme. said that Uganda had a lot of opportunities that the US of Other reports stated that the US outlined its Africa strategy America would be interested in partnering in sectors such as by reiterating its commitment to strong partnerships with key security and health particularly fighting the Ebola pandemic, countries in Africa, specifically naming Kenya as a target for among others. future US aid and investment. East African reported that a year after the US removed Business Live reported that Glencore was ordered by the US decade-long economic sanctions on Sudan, the country was Department of Justice to hand over documents about its busi- in talks with American and Russian firms to build a bigger oil ness in the DRC, Venezuela as part of a corruption probe. refinery at its main port on the Red Sea. Sudan government East African reported that the US agency, in its Investment officials revealed that TK Ural Trade of Russia had proposed to Climate Assessment report for Tanzania 2018 said that the build a refinery with the capacity to process 200,000 barrels government’s requirement for locals to hold at least 30 per per day, while Energy Link International from the US offered to cent shareholding in insurance companies might unintention- build one with 100,000 barrels per day capacity. ally slow down or repel foreign investments. New Telegraph The Exchange reported that US Assistant Secretary of State reported that the US had issued a warning to governments to for African Affairs Tibor Nagy arrived in Addis Ababa, ahead of six African countries including Tanzania, of the existence of his three-day visit to Ethiopia. The report added that the US two con artists duping unsuspecting citizens in those coun- would contribute to assist Ethiopia better its business climate tries under the guise of crypto-currency investment. to attract more US firms in its economy and sustain their oper- Monitor reported that President Museveni held bilateral dis- ations in East Africa’s investment hub.

17 Business & Investments

In January, Kenyan-founded digital payments services pro- logistics firm Seagate to enable Kenyans to ship purchases vider Cellulant valued at Sh10.8 billion ongoing share sale to from international e-commerce companies to their doorsteps. a US firm was revealed. The Competition Authority of Kenya Significant frames stated that US-based investment company (CAK) discovered that Cellulant had sold a 44.04% stake to Capria was evaluating several fund managers in Kenya with a the US-based social impact investment firm, the Rise Fund. view to putting in part of its recently raised Sh10 billion with US Company Andela launched in 2014 to identify and train them for investment in areas of high potential returns. software developers in Kenya concluded a $100 million Jack Pemba, the CEO Pemba Group of Companies met with Series D funding. It was primarily led by Generation investors interested in doing business in Uganda. Other Investment Management, with input from funders including reports stated that The US Trade and Development Agency Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, GV, Spark Capital, and CRE (USTDA) underwrote a feasibility study that led Renewvia to Venture Capital. The development raised the firm’s venture its new microgrid model, which it planned to deploy across funding to $180 million. Africa to places like nearby Uganda. Business Daily said US billionaire William Heinecke expand- The Exchange reported that the US had injected $40 million ed his luxury hotel portfolio in Kenya with the plan of open a towards boosting Ethiopia’s health sector to provide quality new luxury tented camp near Mount Kenya. and affordable healthcare services to its citizens. The report Cassava General Manager, Emile Nsanzabaganwa told New added that the US, Ethiopia’s largest bilateral donor in the times that Rwanda Ruhango District-based Kinazi Cassava health sector has already invested over $4 billion in develop- plant doubled its flour exports from 658 tonnes, ment and humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia over the past Nsanzabaganwa said he was excited about the renewed cer- five years. tificate of registration by the US Food and Drug Minor internet news reported that the US was proud to sup- Administration (US FDA). Nsanzabaganwa mentioned that port the people and government of Somalia as they sought to the development means that Kinazi’s cassava flour products create a better future including through economic develop- were recognised by the US FDA. ment and job creation. All Africa reported that Uganda’s oil and gas industry was East Africa reported that USAid in its Investment Climate expected to rake in investments worth over US$ 1 billion for Assessment Report for Tanzania for the year 2018 said 2019. Tanzania’s requirement for locals to hold at least 30% con- In February, numerous reports stated that the Postal trolling interest in insurance companies might slow down or Corporation of Kenya (PCK) had inked a deal with American repel foreign investments.

18 Eastern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Tourism, Travel & Leisure

105

90

75

60

45

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0 Kenya Rwanda Ethiopia Uganda Tanzania Sudan DRC

In December, The Nation reported that Kenya Airways Uganda for their second visit, during which they would launched its first direct flight from New York to Nairobi, be named Uganda’s tourism ambassadors. making travel to East Africa a much easier proposition. Significant frames stated that Iluta Shabanni came to Business Daily reported that the Kenya Tourism Board the US from a refugee camp in Tanzania 2015. (KTB) had partnered with over 10 private companies in a East African reported that the US and the Congo deal that would see them conduct roadshow campaigns Republic had signed an Open Skies Air Transport in select US cities to attract more international visitors as Agreement which was expected to deepen commercial the holiday high season sets in. KTB CEO Betty Radier ties between them. The source added that the agreement said the campaigns would boost the country’s tourism committed both governments to high standards of safety fortunes together with having Kenya Airways operated and security. In doing so, the agreement would facilitate direct flights between New York City and Nairobi. travel and commerce between the US and the Republic Various reports stated that RwandAir was looking to of the Congo offering greater opportunities for airlines, start flights from Kigali to the US using Accra. My Joy FM travellers, businesses, shippers, airports, workers,and reported that RwandAir hoped to use the West African localities. hub of Accra to feed its direct flights to the US once it Reports in January said the US produced the highest gets the final approval from the Ghana Civil Aviation number of foreign tourists who visited Kenya in 2018. Authority and the FAA. Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said out of the 2 Significant reports stated that the National Geographic million tourists who arrived in Kenya in 2018, 11.12% of magazine, US-based travel destination publication had them were American nationals. named Uganda one of the top 4 cool travel destinations Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) said the Board sought to in Africa and 16 in the world. US rapper Kanye West and grow the number of tourists from the US, Asian and his wife, Kim Kardashian were expected to return to European states. The State agency said it would lead

19 Tourism, Travel & Leisure more than 10 Kenyan local travel agents on a marketing mis- introduce three-times-a-week flights to the John F Kennedy sion in US. International Airport in US. Ethiopian Airlines said it would Business Daily said that Aviation workers issued a strike restructure its US network with new destinations, more fre- notice in opposition planned takeover of the Jomo Kenyatta quencies and shifting gateways as of the summer of 2019. International Airport (JKIA) by Kenya Airways. The Kenya Ethiopian Airlines said the new US network aimed at giving Aviation Workers Union (Kawu) said its members would go on passengers traveling between the US and Ethiopia the best strike, claiming taking over the country’s main airport would possible connectivity. leave them jobless. US Embassy in Kenya reportedly identified Nairobi and The Nation mentioned that when the first direct commercial coastal areas of Kenya as places where terrorists were likely to flight between the US and Kenya landed at Jomo Kenyatta target visitors. US said that citizens of Western nations need- Airport in 2018, passengers were greeted on a red carpet by ed to vigilant in the specified towns to avoid being targeted deputy president William Ruto, traditional Kenyan dancers. by extremists in the wake of recent attacks that claimed 21 Ethiopian Airlines was set to open new destination, adding lives in Nairobi. frequencies and shifting gateways as of the summer of 2019. Celebrated Kenyan Captain Joseph Kinuthia flew on his last Ethiopian Airlines CEO said the airline would keep on expand- flight with the national carrier after serving Kenya Airways ing their US and African network to facilitate people-to-people (KQ) for 42 years. ties and the flow of investment, trade and tourism. Kenyan tourism ministry criticised Kenya Airways’ (KQ) deci- RwandAir announced that it would fly from Kigali to the US sion to reduce the number of direct flights on the recently using its West African hub of Accra once it had the final launched New York route. The proposal for Kenya’s national approval from America’s Federal Aviation Agency. carrier to take over operations of Jomo Kenyatta International Uganda Tourism Board, CEO, Stephen Asiimwe said that the Airport (JKIA) was being challenged by a parliamentary com- Board would be participating in the New York Times Travel. mittee and an aviation worker’s union. Said tourists from the US to Uganda had been increased by A Ugandan flight instructor and his student died in a plane 6.6% registered from 2016 to 2017. crash in the US of America. His wife said $15,000 was needed In February, Ethiopian Airlines announced that it would to bring his body back to Uganda for burial.

20 Eastern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Science, Technology & Innovation

24

21

18

15

12

9

6

3

0 Rwanda Kenya Tanzania Uganda Ethiopia DRC

Eleven change makers, Kenyan organization, Stephanie developers to help companies scale with high-performing Dolrenry, US/Kenya biodiversity, an AI Collaborative Database teams. The report stated that Andela operated in Uganda and for Lion Identification and Inter-Organizational Research had nearly 90% of Andela which were in the US. been selected to receive Microsoft and National Geographic AI AllAfrica.com reported that George Jonas, the Tanzanian for Earth Innovation Grants to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to working with Boeing was expected to receive the Black help understand and protect the planet. Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) at a US gathering dedicat- Two female Kenyan students were reportedy selected for a ed to increase diversity in science, technology, engineering six-month internship program by giant American aerospace and math (STEM). company Boeing International. In February, reports stated that the US African Development New Times reported that Sixty young bright students were Foundation, was focused on providing electricity to rural areas selected across the Rwanda to join the first cohort of the US using off-grid solutions in nine countries including Kenya. inaugural software programming school, adding impetus to The Rwanda government entered into a $400 million agree- the country’s efforts to become a regional tech hub. ment with Gasmeth Energy to extract and process methane In January, reports focused their coverage on the Rwandan gas from Lake Kivu. researcher Aristide Gumyusenge who was pursuing a PhD in Significant reports stated that George Jonas, a Tanzanian Organic Chemistry in the US after winning Rwandan working with Boeing, received the Black Engineer of the Year Presidential Scholarship to attend university in the US. Awards (Beya) gong in the US. Gumyusenge said winning the presidential scholarship was Minor reports said the US Embassy Addis Ababa in partner- one of the best things that ever happened to him. He added ship with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) that he remembered how he worked hard and studying daily was sponsoring the second SolveIT! A national innovation for the national exams. competition, where Ethiopian youths would develop tech-base Bloomberg reported that Andela was an African company solutions to address community challenges. that identified and developed Africa’s most talented software

21 Eastern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Education

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0 Rwanda Kenya Ethiopia Somalia

In December, 60 students were nominated in Rwanda to join receive an opportunity to learn and practice debating skills US inaugural software programming school. through workshops and practical debates. Julie Cram, USAID’s senior coordinator for US International The US Embassy hosted the annual Africa English Language Basic Education Assistance said Developing countries such as Fellows Midyear Conference. The conference brought togeth- Somalia often lack the resources and capacity to provide a er more than 20 English Language Fellows serving in Ethiopia, quality education, especially to children in rural and hard-to- Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania to share best practices and reach areas, as well as in areas affected by crisis and conflict. strengthen the network of English Language Fellows. English Cram said in Somalia only 30% of school-aged children attend Language Fellows and English Language Specialists would a school due to lake of resources. travel to Addis Ababa to provide training to students and In January, US non-profit organisation Asante Africa reached English language teachers in Ethiopia as well as at refugee into rural areas of Kenya and Tanzania, working with the most settlements. neglected and marginalized communities. The non-profit Rwanda was set to start construction of the long-awaited introduced programs in more than 330 schools. Ellen DeGeneres’ Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla. Dian US news said that Rwanda had sent its best and brightest Fossey Gorilla Fund International Director, Felix Ndagijimana, students to study agriculture and related subjects in Nebraska. said the campus would be home to the Dian Fossey Gorilla The Rwandan government had partnered with the US Howard Fund which had been operating in Rwanda for more than 50 G. Buffett Foundation and pledged to educate 200 Rwandans years through its Karisoke Research Centre. The report said to build the country’s future. that the campus project could create more than 1,500 jobs In February, the US Embassy in Ethiopia offered a week-long during the construction process, with 40% of the workforce capacity building workshop for senior editors from private and being female. US $2m was used on local labour and trades. state media organizations across Ethiopia. US Embassy had Moreover, US $2.5m would be spent on local materials gath- launched a National Debate Club, where students were set to ered from within 250 km of the site.

22 Eastern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Entertainment

In December, Business Daily reported that a great example ers, poets, writers, theatre makers and musicians from the of the Kenyan diaspora, Lupita Nyongo was born in Mexico North American diaspora dedicated to making annual cultur- City. And fame was secured for role in the film 12 Years a al trips to Ethiopia to meet and connect with contemporary Slave for which she won the US Academy Award’s Best and traditional artists from their native land. Supporting Actress. In February, numerous reports stated that Hollywood Significant reports stated that Ugandan controversial musi- Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o younger brother Peter Junior cian Moses Ssali alias Bebe Cool had returned to Uganda Nyong’o was set to debut as an actor in the US. from his getaway to the United States. Reports added that Monitor reported that the newly crowned Miss Rwanda while Bebe Cool was in the US and worked on several music 2019, Miss Meghan Nimwiza would be one of the many projects and shot music videos with multi-award-winning African beauties at the upcoming Uganda Festival also Ugandan video director Sasha Vybz. dubbed summer’s ultimate event in New York, USA. In January, the New Vision reported that Ugandan acapella Minor internet news stated that internationally acclaimed group, The Harmonics Uganda was praised for bringing an worship leader, song writer and Pastor, Don Moen from US “African touch” to America’s Got Talent-a televised American had finally arrived in Uganda for the Kampala Praise Festival talent show competition. scheduled to take place on 8 February 2019 at Kololo airstrip Minor internet news stated that Ethiopian-American sing- in Kampala. er-songwriter Meklit Hadero’s music was a product of a life Other reports stated that the African woman from Tanzania marrying two distinct cultures, varying interests and multiple in the viral video that broke the internet with her football jug- genres. The report also mentioned that Hadero started the gling skills and caught the attention of US President Donald Arba Minch Collective, a group of Ethiopian artists, filmmak- Trump had been found after a search for her identity.

Arts & Culture

In December, various reports stated that the trade marking US for 20 years. Ugandan Choir went to US to sing, dance, of the Kiswahili slogan ‘hakuna matata’ by Disneyland in the and tell stories of the refugee children who were forgotten. US raised vital issues on the misappropriation of the cultural In February, Four Kenyan women-owned businesses in US heritage of Kenyans. showcased at COTERIE, a premier global event connecting In January, the children of the World International Choir vis- women fashion designers. These Women and Lilabare ited US Edgewood Baptist Church as part of its 2018-2019 Clothing were given an opportunity to showcase their collec- Refuge and Strength tour. The choir was founded by human- tions and connect with international buyers at the three-day itarian organization, World Help. The choir had been touring event.

23 Southern Africa

Analysis of daily issue coverage

^ŽƵƚŚ EĞǁƐĐĂƚĞŐŽƌLJ ŝŵďĂďǁĞ DŽnjĂŵďŝƋƵĞ ĂŵďŝĂ EĂŵŝďŝĂ ŶŐŽůĂ >ĞƐŽƚŚŽ DĂĚĂŐĂƐĐĂƌ dŽƚĂů ĨƌŝĐĂ WŽůŝƚŝĐƐ ϮϬϬ ϲϳ ϰ ϳϬ ϳ ϭϱ ϲ ϱ ϯϴϭ WĞĂĐĞ͕^ĞĐƵƌŝƚLJΘdĞƌƌŽƌŝƐŵ Ϯϭ ϯ ϭϮϵ ϰ Ϯ ϭ Ϯ ϯ ϭϲϳ ŶƚĞƌƚĂŝŶŵĞŶƚ ϭϲ ϵϳ ϭ Ϯ  ϭ  ϭϭϴ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐΘ/ŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚƐ ϭϲ ϳϭ ϰ ϳ  Ϯ  ϭϬϯ dŽƵƌŝƐŵ͕dƌĂǀĞůΘ>ĞŝƐƵƌĞ ϯϲ Ϯϭ Ϯ ϭϳ ϭϮ ϲ Ϯ ϭ ϵϳ ĐŽŶŽŵLJ͕dƌĂĚĞΘ ϮϮ ϭϬ ϴ ϵ ϰ ϴ ϳ ϰ ϳϳ ĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ,ĞĂůƚŚΘ&ŽŽĚŝƐƐƵĞƐ ϲ ϭϮ ϭϮ ϭϰ  ϴ ϲ ϲϮ ĚƵĐĂƚŝŽŶ ϱ ϴ ϭ  ϭ  ϯ  ϮϮ ƌƚƐΘƵůƚƵƌĞ ϴ ϭ    Ϯ   ϭϭ ^ĐŝĞŶĐĞ͕dĞĐŚΘ/ŶŶŽǀĂƚŝŽŶ  ϰ   ϭ  ϭ  ϴ dŽƚĂů ϯϯϬ Ϯϵϰ ϭϰϴ ϭϮϬ ϰϯ ϯϮ ϯϮ ϭϵ ϭ͕Ϭϰϲ  Political reports said the commitment of Angolan head of Lesotho, Rebecca Gonzales, warned that Lesotho risked losing States João Lourenço to fight against corruption and impunity out on the multi-million-dollar second compact under the had been acknowledged by the American watchdog organisa- Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) due to concerns tion Freedom House in its report on Freedom in the World. about “unacceptable” corruption and police brutality against citi- The US Government celebrated 50 years of friendship and col- zens. laboration between the Peace Corps and the Basotho people at The chairman of Mozambique’s national oil company ENH said Thaba-Bosiu. US Ambassador to Lesotho Rebecca E. Gonzales a final investment decision for a massive offshore natural gas noted that as they celebrated this milestone, the US extend its block in Mozambique was expected to be ready by March or most heartfelt appreciation to the Basotho people across the April. National oil company of Mozambique Empresa Nacional country who directly support our Volunteers – their colleagues de Hydrocarbonetos (ENH) held a 15% stake and Anadarko and collaborators, their mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, Mozambique Area, a subsidiary of US -based explorer Anadarko and friends. Petroleum held 26.5% and was an operator of the block. South Africa’s Department of International Relations and In South Africa, EOH Holdings, a South African IT company Cooperation reportedly said the heads of the diplomatic mis- reeling after an anonymous complaint prompted Microsoft Corp. sions of US and four other European countries regretted the to abruptly cancel a contract, created an app that would make memorandum they sent to South African President Cyril the process easier for future whistle-blowers. Microsoft’s move Ramaphosa. The memorandum had warned President was related to an anonymous complaint to the US Securities Ramaphosa that his investment drive could fail due to corrup- and Exchange Commission (SEC) about a R120m software deal tion. between EOH Mthombo and the department of defence. On the 19th of January, the First lady of Zambia, Esther Lungu Lyco Business Solutions, a Zambian specialised business advi- arrived in Los Angeles for what the government described as a sory and capital raising firm scooped two International Finance’s launch of collaboration between the Los Angeles City Fire Financial awards. Lyco had a growing footprint in Zambia, South Department and the Zambia Fire and Rescue Service. This was Africa, Dubai and the US. despite public outcry and a civil rights activist Laura Miti appeal- The Sunday Mail in Zimbabwe reported that Finance and ing to US Ambassador to Zambia Daniel Foote to withdraw the Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube was donation to Zambia. set to leave for the US to apprise that country’s government offi- Zimbabwe reports said the US was “deeply concerned” over cials on positive developments the country has achieved in reported human rights abuses being carried out by Zimbabwe’s recent months. security forces against civilians. Tibor Nagy, the US’ top diplomat Former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang was for Africa, demanded that those responsible for killings, arbitrary denied bail by a South African court meaning he would remain detentions, assaults, and rape be held to account. in custody pending an extradition hearing over charges relating In the Business & Investments segment, the US ambassador to to $2 billion in fraudulent loans. Both the US and Mozambique

24 Southern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

were seeking Chang’s extradition, with a hearing on the matter across the internet with his tale of being helped by a good scheduled to begin on Feb. 26. samaritan after being stranded on a notoriously dangerous Peace, Security & Terrorism reports indicated that maritime stretch of road in South Africa. forces from East Africa, West Indian Ocean nations, Europe, and The US Embassy in Zambia donated personal computers to the US concluded the eighth iteration of the annual multination- help the non-governmental organization, Community Markets al maritime exercise Cutlass Express. The nine-day exercise, for Conservation (COMACO), train traditional leaders in Eastern sponsored by US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and conducted Province in the use of satellite-mapping software to enable them by US Naval Forces Africa, kicked off in Djibouti and included an to improve monitoring and protection of the forests and wildlife in-port preparatory phase, four days of pier side and underway within their chiefdoms. visit, board, search and seizure drills, as well as various work- Daniel Foote, the US Ambassador to Zambia visited the Wildlife shops in Mozambique and Djibouti. Crime Scene Investigation Training Course which was under- Minor reports in Namibia said the US Embassy Regional way in South Luangwa National Park. The meeting, convened Security Office and the US Drug Enforcement Administration by TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network, the Netherlands Forensic (DEA) recently held a workshop on drugs in Namibia. Institute and TRAFFIC was taking place thanks to financial sup- Speaking at the official opening of the fifth Zambian Battalion port from the People’s Postcode Lottery, European Union and peace keeping pre-deployment training at Nanking Peace USAID. Mission Training Centre, US Defence Advisor to Zambia An American hunter who shot dead two elephants with his Lieutenant Colonel Erick Jordan praised the Zambia Defence friend saw his company’s website and social media sites Forces for partnering with the US and other allied partners to swamped with furious messages. Jines and professional hunter build a more secure and prosperous future for the people of Delezenne had been accused of killing two baby elephants Central African Republic. during a “trophy” hunt in Zimbabwe in October. A statement released by the US in Zimbabwe condemned the Economy, Trade & Development minor reports stated that continued excessive use of force by Zimbabwe’s Government. South Africa issued the latest appeal to the international com- US Department of State Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino munity to lift longstanding sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe in also called on the need to embrace dialogue. Palladino also said order to alleviate pressures contributing to its economic and for dialogue to succeed, the Government of Zimbabwe should political crises. end its excessive violence and intimidation, immediately release In South Africa, Farmers Weekly noted that The US Department people arrested during Shutdown protests. of Agriculture awarded US$200 million (about R2,7 billion) to Tourism, Travel & Leisure reports highlighted that the agricultural organisations to assist farmers in identifying and Combating Wildlife Crime in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier accessing new export markets. Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) Programme funded by the US Other reports from Mozambique stated new locomotives were Agency for International Development (USAID) commenced imported all the way from the US while the wagons were pur- with a three-day workshop in Windhoek, Namibia. chased from Mozambique’s neighbouring South Africa. A small-town farmer in an icy part of the US warmed hearts

25 Southern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Politics

240

200

160

120

80

40

0 Zimbabwe Zambia South Africa Angola Namibia Lesotho Madagascar

In December, Zimbabwe US Senator Cory Booker, among several to the former US President George H. Bush who died. Manuel senators who heard testimonies from witnesses on ‘Zimbabwe Augusto signed the book of condolences at US Embassy in After the Elections’, acknowledged positive developments in Angola, on behalf of the Angolan State. Zimbabwe after the elections, but pressed the government to do US Ambassador to Eswatini Lisa Peterson had acknowledged more. strides made by the country in Human rights particularly in the last China hoped the US could learn a lesson and “not blurt things year. Peterson said she saw distinct differences between the out”, after Zambia denied claims by a White House official that Swaziland she arrived in. Peterson was making her remarks during China is about to take over its state power utility to recover debt. US the Human Rights Day Commemoration-High Level breakfast National Security Advisor John Bolton said Africa was evident in meeting which was held at the Happy Valley yesterday. She said nations like Zambia, where China was poised to take over utility the country needs to celebrate some of its achievements of the company Zesco to collect the $6-10 billion debt. xZambian presi- year, so that they can draw lessons from these victories and to have dential spokesman Amos Chanda told Reuters that China was not the energy and motivation to move on to even greater triumphs. planning to take over Zesco and that the figure of between $6-10 In January, Zimbabwe officials claimed that demonstrations in the billion given by Bolton was wrong. Zambia’s total external debt was country were not a local affair but a way by Western countries to now $9.7 billion including $3.1 billion owed to China, he said. camouflage their goals on Zimbabwe and the African continent in America’s former ambassador to South Africa, Patrick Gaspard, general. was greatly encouraged by the apparent shift back towards a more The African Union announced an ambitious project, called human rights-based South African foreign policy by the Wakanda One. The project takes its name from the technologically Ramaphosa administration. advanced, fictitious African country from Marvel’s Black Panther President Trump’s administration said it had devised a new plan superhero franchise, which spawned a hugely successful film last to counter the rising influence of China and Russia on Africa. The year. Zimbabwe pledged 2,000 hectares to the project while White House National Security Council drafted the plans to Zambia offered 132 hectares. improve the United States’ relationship with certain countries that SA President Cyril Ramaphosa called on the international commu- were seen as vulnerable to influence from China and Russia, and to nity to end the economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. The US and impede North Korea and Iran’s possible attempts to create business EU imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe in 2000 after they connections, according to one senior official whose name has accused ex-president Robert Mugabe of trampling on human been withheld. rights, rigging elections and repressing press freedom. The sanc- Angolan minister of Foreign Affairs Manuel Augusto paid tribute tions led to devastating economic challenges, with the country

26 Politics reportedly now sitting with about 85% unemployment. systematic torture of opposition supporters by soldiers and A South African court postponed a bail hearing related to a US police, suggested that the US had stoked trouble to protect its indictment against former Mozambican Finance Minister “interests” in southern Africa. Manuel Chang, who had been linked to $2 billion of allegedly SA expressed disappointment after the US and other Western fraudulent loans that caused the country to default. The arrest powers wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa urging him to tackle Chang, as well as the indictment of several other government corruption, and said those countries had breached diplomatic officials, had bust wide open the level of government corruption protocol. In addition, the South African Department of in Mozambique and to an extent, raised concern in Angola International Relations and Cooperation (DARIC) said that heads where some firms indicted in Mozambique were present. of Diplomatic Missions of the US, Switzerland, Britain, Germany, Political and Economic Section Chief of the US Embassy in the Netherlands regretted the memorandum they sent to Zambia, Ms Doreen Bailey paid a courtesy call on the Patriotic Ramaphosa. Front Secretary General Davies Mwila at the PF Secretariat. The commitment of Angolan head of States João Lourenço to Bailey and Mwila discussed a number of issues ranging from the fight against corruption and impunity was acknowledged by the Patriotic Front’s economic-social policies to the current dialogue American watchdog organisation Freedom House. The recogni- process. Bailey expressed happiness with the Patriotic Front’s tion was expressed in its report on Freedom in the World pro- commitment to upholding the tenets of democracy as evi- duced this year and was presented in Washington. denced by the Party’s on – going intra – party elections. She said An expensive overseas trip by Zambian First Lady Esther the US was committed to solidifying the warm relations between Lungu to collect four fire trucks donated by the Los Angeles City Zambia and the US in ensuring a peaceful and prosperous Fire Department stirred a hornet’s nest back home. The first Zambia. lady’s entourage included 25 people in all. The excessive trip After a heated race, Madagascar’s high constitution court abroad went ahead despite civil rights activist Laura Miti appeal- declared Andry Rajoelina the winner of the Malagasy elections ing unsuccessfully to US Ambassador to Zambia Daniel Foote to in January 2019, confirming the election commission’s withdraw the donation to Zambia. announcement a month prior. Rajoelina pulled in 55.66% of the The US Government recently celebrated 50 years of friendship vote, while his opponent, the pro-Western Mark Ravalomanana, and collaboration between its Peace Corps and the people of received only 44%. Lesotho. As part of the celebrations, a delegation from the Peace The just-concluded election was a major blow to the US, which Corps Headquarters led by the Deputy Director of Global for long had sought to gain a foothold in the national resourc- Operations, Meredith Giordano, visited Lesotho to participate in es-endowed island country. In March 2018, US Ambassador the commemoration. Stuart Wilson, indirectly pledged his support to Ravalomanana. The US ambassador to Lesotho, Rebecca Gonzales, warned Later, ardent opposition activist Hanitra Razafimanantsoa also that Lesotho risked losing out on the multi-million-dollar second came to the US Embassy to confirm his backing of the candi- compact under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) date. due to concerns about “unacceptable” corruption and police In February, the US slammed police repression in Zimbabwe, brutality against citizens. weeks after security forces crushed protests there. Washington Mozambique would host two major events this year, namely also urged all parties to take part in the national dialogue that the 12th US-Africa Summit in June which would help to consoli- opposition forces had sat out. In a tweet, the US Embassy in date Africa-US engagements, and the Conference on Blue Harare said, “Harassment and targeted arrests of civil society Economy in May. These major events would help promote leaders damage Zimbabwe’s reputation & economic future. We development and encourage economic advancement. call on the Zimbabwean government to uphold its constitution, protect human rights, and foster an environment where all can contribute to the nation’s progress.” Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa, who had faced international criticism over reports of widespread rape and

27 Southern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Economy, Trade & Development

24

21

18

15

12

9

6

3

0 Zimbabwe South Zambia Angola Lesotho Namibia Madagascar Swaziland Africa

In December, A US company University Extension Livestock (MCC) assistance programme, which expressed interest in investing in differ- Marketing Specialist, the latest meat was designed to spur economic growth ent sectors of Zimbabwe’s economy, export data showed demand for US and reduce poverty. US Ambassador an indicator of a positive business envi- beef, chicken and pork abroad helped Lisa Peterson said to determine eligibili- ronment under the new dispensation buffer what was deemed as excess ty for an MCC grant, a country was led by President Mnangagwa. meat production in 2018. The evaluated on 20 indicators which mea- US Ambassador Daniel L. Foote said Caribbean collectively was the sec- sured the government’s policy perfor- in a statement that as he reflected on ond-largest market accounting for 9% mance in the areas of good gover- the past year and on the amazing of total US broiler chicken exports in nance, economic freedom and invest- things the two countries had done 2018. Angola was the third-largest mar- ing in its people. together, he eagerly awaited the future ket for broiler exports and was up In January, Sunday Mail reported that growth of the US -Zambia partnership. 56.1% in October and was up 19.7% for in 2017, the US had a $39 billion in Other reports said the trade war the year in 2018. total goods trade with Sub-Saharan between China and the US was a threat Forbes reported that in 2007, the vol- African countries and a trade deficit of to the Zambian economy as it could ume of direct US investments in Africa $10,8 billion and its largest export mar- lead to a reversal of copper price gains amounted to $ 32.61 billion, of which kets were Angola and South Africa, on the international market because of majority accounted for South Africa, among other countries. slower growth in China. The anticipat- Mauritius, Angola, among other coun- Experts from the US would be part of ed lower copper price was expected to tries. a panel of engineering experts that worsen Zambia’s debt and deplete for- A South African kilt manufacturer were appointed for the second phase eign exchange reserves. Egbert Harmse said that the strong of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Madagascar’s exports to the US rose demand for so-called “cargo kilts”, kilts (LHWP II). The appointment was done by 29% to $181.3 million between made from hard-wearing textiles, had by the Lesotho Highlands October 2017 and September 2018. surged over the past two years. Harmse Development Authority. The US government become a pitch- noted that some 60% of his production Sunday Mail reported that in 2017, man for the natural gas industry and was exported, mostly to the U.S, UK and the US had a $39 billion in total goods the US Chamber of Commerce, a crowd Canada. trade with Sub-Saharan African coun- of 200 welcomed the US Gas Observer on Saturday said that tries and a trade deficit of $10,8 billion Infrastructure Exports Initiative. Eswatini missed out on the US and its largest export markets were According to an Oklahoma State Millennium Challenge Corporation Angola and South Africa, among other

28 Economy, Trade & Development

countries. benefit from funding and technical support from the US to SA startup RapidDeploy opened its US headquarters in boost economic activity in the country. The move followed Austin, Texas in a bid to meet growing demand from US cus- the ongoing reforms, under the Angolan President João tomers. Lourenço, focused on combat corruption, improve business The Association of African Americans in the fire service environment, attract new investments, among other actions, pledged to set up a fund to train Zambians in firefighting and aimed at improving the people’s living standards. other fields of study. President of the Association, Gerald Angola’s trade representations abroad would be closed fol- Durant, announced the development when Zambia’s First lowing an order issued by the Ministry of Trade and signed Lady Esther Lungu visited fire station number 94 in Los by Minister Jofre Van-Dúnem Júnior. The offices in the US Angeles. Durant said the focus of the association was to were among those that would be closed. impart skills to Zambian firefighters so that they could oper- The Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) witnessed the ate and handle new fire engines that would be delivered to first-ever offloading of Petroleum Coke (Petcoke) consign- Zambia as a gesture of goodwill from the Los Angeles ment. The 37 900 tonnes cargo, which was expected to take Lusaka Sister City Committee. nine to 10 days for packing, was received from the US of Political and Economic Section Chief of the US Embassy in America and would be transported in trucks via the Trans- Zambia, Doreen Bailey paid a courtesy call on the Patriotic Caprivi Corridor to the Republic of Zambia. Front Secretary General Davies Mwila at the PF Secretariat. Mozambique’s Ports and Railways announced that it had Bailey said the US was committed to solidifying the warm invested $37 million in the purchase five locomotives and relations between Zambia and the US in ensuring a peaceful 500 platform wagons to improve cargo handling capacity. and prosperous Zambia. Lesotho and the US signed a $5.78 million Millennium Other reports said according to the U.S-based Borgen Challenge Corporation (MMC) Compact Development Grant Project, a non-profit organization, 72.3% of people lived Agreement. The agreement was penned by Lesotho’s below the poverty datum line in Zimbabwe. Minister of Finance, Dr Moeketsi Mojoro and US Ambassador In February, ZImbabwe and Zambia agreed on a number of to Lesotho, Rebecca Gonzales. In its first compact with issues such as awarding the tender for the construction of Lesotho, the MCC invested $362.5 million to increase eco- Batoka Hydro to China Power and General Electric. nomic growth among other issues. Angola was among the three African countries that would

29 Southern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Health & Food issues

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14

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0 Namibia South Zambia Lesotho Madagascar Zimbabwe Swaziland Africa

In Namibia, the US Centers for Disease Control and Commerce Raj Modi. Nichols said about $230 million had Prevention continued its assistance to help control the hepa- been set aside by the US for Zimbabwe for various sectors of titis E outbreak and handed over 600 hepatitis E rapid test the economy, which included health targeting the mitigation kits and personal protective equipment to the Ministry of of cholera and HIV. Health and Social Services. This support was a continuation Founded by the Bush administration in 2003, continued by of the ongoing assistance CDC had been providing to the President Obama, and supported by President Trump, the Ministry, including three technical assistance visits from six President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) saved subject matter experts during the year that had provided lives in the global fight against AIDS. PEPFAR adopted a “test- intensive capacity-building support to improve the epidemio- and-treat” programs, where patients would be given ARVs on logical investigation. the spot after receiving a positive diagnosis. As a result, over SA’s efforts to control the HIV epidemic by 2020 received a 90% of people diagnosed with HIV in Namibia and Eswatini financial boost with the announcement that the US (formerly Swaziland) were on treatment. President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief would invest $1.2 The US government would provide an additional $1.2bn to billion (R16.4bn) over two years. This commitment included SA’s HIV/AIDS programmes over the next two years in an an HIV treatment “Surge” that supported President urgent bid to help the country bring its epidemic under con- Ramaphosa’s call to action to provide life-saving HIV treat- trol. Describing SA as at a “crisis point”, US global AIDS co-or- ment to 2 million more South Africans. dinator Deborah Birx said the country would have 10-million Zambian government launched the Southern African people living with HIV by 2030 if it did not find a way to stem Development Community (SADC) seed certification and har- the tide of new infections, which stood at 250,000 a year. Birx monized seed regulation system. Minister of Agriculture, stated that the implementation in SA was not resulting in the Michael Katambo said the launch signified that Zambia had outcomes that were seen in Malawi, Lesotho, eSwatini, capacity to produce seed that could be traded across the Namibia and Botswana, and were concerned as to why it was SADC region. Katambo aditianally said the launch was in line working in other countries and not in SA. with the national agriculture policy whose overall agenda In January, Namibia and South Africa were two of several was to increase access to quality seed that assured increased countries that had been buying more agricultural products as production and productivity. a result of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) efforts. An American company had expressed interest in investing Revised trade pacts made it easier to sell American agricultur- in different sectors of the country’s economy. US Ambassador al products internationally. to Zimbabwe Mr Brian Nichols, revealed this during a closed- According to findings published in the journal PLOS door meeting with Deputy Minister of Industry and Medicine, adolescent girls exposed to severe drought condi-

30 Health & Food issues tions in rural Lesotho had higher rates of HIV. This was program had worked with Basotho counterparts in commu- according to a new study led by researchers at ICAP at nities, schools, and health facilities to empower adolescents Columbia University, the Lesotho Ministry of Health, and US with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study stated achieve the promise of an AIDS-free generation. that adolescent girls and young women in rural areas of Ambassador Gonzales warned that Lesotho would risk los- drought were also more likely to engage in high-risk ing out on a multi-million-dollar second compact under the behaviours, including sex work, and were more likely to drop Millennium Challenge Corporation due to serveral concerns. out of school. Gonzales noted that there were impressive efforts to main- Madagascar experienced an unusually large measles out- tain the legacy of the first MCC compact, such as Lesotho’s break. Madagascar last experienced measles outbreaks in progress to reaching an epidemic control in the fight against 2003 and 2004. From October 2018 to January 2019, 19 HIV and AIDS. 539 measles cases and 39 “facility-based” deaths were The Ambassador of the US to Namibia, Lisa Johnson had reported by the Ministry of Public Health of Madagascar. A inspired young women to realise their full potential when Vaccination Campaign was planned, targeting 2 million chil- she was part of the Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS- dren aged between nine months and nine years. Free Mentored and Safe (Dreams) project, an evi- In February, A South Dakota state epidemiologist, Lon dence-based programme intended to reduce new HIV infec- Kightlinger mentioned that Madagascar was as a dangerous tions among teens and young women. portent when it came to the measles outbreak that the US Forgarty International Centre of the US Institutes of Health was currently grappling with, due to non-medical exemp- extended a US$3 million grant to the University of Zimbabwe tions for vaccinations. that aimed to strengthening research and training at the Lesotho Times said that the country was set to receive over institution’s health sciences department. M1 billion in support from the US government to strengthen A US medical company, Hologic Inc launched new HIV its fight against HIV and AIDS during the 2019-2020 financial diagnosis tools in Zimbabwe that made it simple for labora- year. The funds would be channelled through the US tories to diagnose and monitor HIV infections in the country. President’s PEPFAR as part of the broader efforts by the US Hologic spokesperson said the new tool known as Aptima to help Lesotho reverse the HIV and AIDS burden and HIV-1 Quant would have two functions that would help the achieve an AIDS free generation. US ambassador to Lesotho, country intensify its fight against HIV. Rebecca Gonzales Minister of Health, Nkaku Kabi. News Day reported that Finance and Economic The US celebrated 50 years of friendship and the collabora- Development minister Mthuli Ncube mentioned that the US tion between the Peace Corps and the Basotho. In Lesotho, remained the leading bilateral and multilateral donor their the Peace Corps had become an integral part of the US current assistance in combating HIV/Aids and cholera had President’s Emergency Response for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) been successful. since 2003 and the Peace Corps Volunteers in the Health

31 Southern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Tourism, Travel & Leisure

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35

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25

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0 Zimbabwe South Africa Zambia Namibia Lesotho Mozambique

In December, A 37-year-old American tourist was rushed to a future for our children. private hospital in Victoria Falls with a fractured leg after she Lesotho was a landlocked country of around 2 million peo- was attacked by a hippo while canoeing on the Zambezi River. ple, surrounded by SA. The country was 11,583 square miles Mrs Christine Yaldor. They had booked with one of the opera- in size and was mostly mountainous. 40% of its inhabitants liv- tors for a mid-morning canoeing adventure. Mrs Yaldor and eed in poverty. her husband were suddenly attacked by the hippo when their Brian Schwitters said unemployment was high and jobs were boat came closer to the animal as they enjoyed sailing in the scarce, but that did not stop several families from taking him in river. A witness said: “They came too close to the hippo and it when he faced life-changing events. Schwitters had moved to panicked and attacked their boat.” Africa with his wife and two children when her job with the South Africa federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took her An American tourist had been injured in a hippo attack at abroad. While they were in Africa, their marriage dissolved and Victoria Falls. The 37-year-old woman was canoeing with her Schwitters said the friends he made in Lesotho stood by him husband above the falls when the accident occurred. The through a tough time. woman, named as Christine Yaldor, had to be airlifted to SA for In January, SA was ranked the largest market for the sale of treatment. illicit drugs in sub-Sahara Africa, according to the 2018 President Hage Geingob travelled to 16 countries, spent 64 International Narcotics Control Strategy (INCS) Report which days abroad and qualified for an estimated N$850 000 in trav- was published by the United States’ Department of State to el allowances. This is despite a ban the Presidency placed on Congress. international trips by public officials this year as part of cutting Empire actress Taraji P. Henson reflected on a recent trip to down costs. The ban, however, was a short-lived public stunt SA that she’d let her fans in on via a video shared on her as business continued as usual because soon after, Geingob Instagram. In the video, Henson is surrounded by young flew out to China. women from Soweto as they treat her to a spirited perfor- In a Zambians travels they shared that Zambians and mance of a traditional dance. Americans were not all that different. They shared many of the The US Dept of Homeland Security announced that workers same goals and aspirations, like wanting a stable country, from the Philippines were no longer allowed to seek employ- good jobs, a great education, excellent health, and a better ment in the US under H-2B and H-2A work visas. Eighty-one

32 Tourism, Travel & Leisure countries were still approved for the H-2 visa program, The US bestowed Zambia with a new process to fight defor- including South Africa and Mozambique. estation. The US Embassy based in Zambia donated 16 per- In an interview with the LA Times, Hollywood actress Danai sonal computers to help the non-governmental organization Gurira, who starred in Black Panther shed light about her life Community Markets for Conservation so that it could provide in post-colonial Zimbabwe, saying she had struggled to dis- training to the traditional leaders in the country’s eastern cover her true roots as the country battled to also leave it’s province in the right utilization of satellite-mapping software. colonial past behind. The new technology would enable them to enhance moni- Angolan student Silvio De Sousa’s attorney asked the toring and protection of the forests and wildlife within their NCAA to reinstate the University of Kansas sophomore. chiefdoms. Sousa moved to the US at age 15. According to new research by the Boston Consulting In February, Georgia businessman who was pictured hold- Group and The Network, in association with CareerJunction, ing a gun and standing over two dead baby elephants had the US remained the most favourable work location for South been forced to come out and explain his act, after a social Africans – even amid the volatility of its national politics. media backlash. Mike Jines took the photo alongside profes- The Combating Wildlife Crime in the Kavango Zambezi sional hunter, Max ‘Buzz’ Delezenne, in Zimbabwe. However, Transfrontier Conservation Area Programme funded by the social media users were quick to read malice in the photo, USAID commenced with a three-day workshop in Windhoek accusing the two of hunting Ivory in the African country. from February. The workshop aimed to provide a platform to A Zimbabwean businessman based in the US, Dr Devine develop an improved understanding of transnational wildlife Mafa, has partnered with an unnamed international car man- crime. ufacturer to set up a vehicle assembly plant in Kwekwe. The trial of two American citizens charged with murdering a Zambian first lady Esther Lungu travelled to the US, in what young man in Windhoek at the start of 2011 resumed after was described as a collaboration between Zambia’s Fire and being stalled for more than four years. Rescue Service and the LA fire department to collect four fire Former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang was trucks. According to presidential spokesperson Amos denied bail by the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court. Chang Chanda the purpose of the trip was to assess if the fire trucks was detained at OR Tambo International Airport on conformed to Zambian standards. However, it emerged that December 29, 2018, while he was making his way to Dubai. the donated fire trucks were retired by the LA fire department The former finance minister would now have to wait to hear after serving the area for decades. Two of the trucks were whether he would be extradited to the US when he returned 1985 models, a third one was a 1995 model and the other, a to court. 1996 model.

33 Southern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Business & Investments

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0 South Zimbabwe Zambia Mozambique Lesotho Swaziland Africa

In December, Elon Musk tweeted that his electric car compa- ing investment, an American company called GE Hydro was ny would open its first store in Africa by the end of 2019. Musk planning to invest millions of dollars in Zimbabwe. noted that 11 new Tesla dealerships were opening in the US S&P Dow Jones said it would remove Zimbabwean domi- Clickatell, founded in South Africa, which helped companies ciled companies from its indices due to local inflationary pres- communicate with customers via mobile messaging platforms, sures and forex shortages, a development that would con- was considering a public offering next year as it sought to strain the country’s ability to attract foreign investment. fund a rapid expansion of its services. Clickatell was now US and the Netherlands would co-host the 2019 Global based in California and would seek to list on a US exchange. Entrepreneurship Summit. The US called on the Zambian Philip Morris International won to rivals BAT in the race to win entrepreneurs wishing to take part at the meeting to do so hearts in the growing new-generation products industry with a online and summit by filling in application form. launch of its latest smoke-free product in SA. PMI launched Daily Nation reported that US Ambassador Foote clarified the latest version of its “smoke-free product”, IQOS 3 in SA. that there was no evidence to suggest that Zambia’s state South African startup Pineapple was accepted into the assets including the power utility company ZESCO, were Hartford Insurtech Hub accelerator programme as it prepared poised to be taken over by China due to the country’s loans. to launch its product in the US Pineapple co-founder Matthew Foote clarified that US national security advisor, John Bolton Elan Smith told Disrupt Africa that the startup was participat- referred to widespread international reports on Zambia regard- ing in the accelerator programme to partner with insurance ing Chinese loans and state assets. companies in the US ahead of a planned launch in the coun- Other reports said lawyers in Mozambique were suing US try. fossil fuel giant Anadarko to block its planned R272.30 billion A US company expressed interest in investing in different gas projects, arguing that the land was illegally taken from sectors of the country’s economy, an indicator of a positive locals, according to a statement published. business environment under the new dispensation led by The Bank of Mozambique chose U.S-based payment services President Mnangagwa. US Ambassador Nichols said regard- firm Euronet to provide the IT framework for its interbank pay-

34 Business & Investments ment system. Euronet would provide, install and maintain a eign investment was at risk unless South Africa took tangible new computer system for the interbank payments network, action against perpetrators of corruption and other serious known locally as Simo. crimes. The countries also expressed concern over what In January, reports highlighted that SA startup RapidDeploy they called “obstacles” to foreign investment. opened its US headquarters in Austin, Texas in a bid to meet U.S-based Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) growing demand from US customers. In September 2018 launched its first African Chapter at the Sandton Convention. RapidDeploy CEO and co-founder Steve Raucher said he It was noted that as the leading international association of planned to relocate to the US RapidDeploy selected Austin, professional property managers, the establishment of a Texas to set up the US office because of its talented tech South African IREM chapter was an important step towards workforce and its extensive tech ecosystem. South African professionalising the commercial property management ambassador to the US Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu industry in SA. explained the startup was developed in SA however it had Tech startup RapidDeploy, in the beginning of 2019, had been recognised by the US as a leading technology and assembled a core team of U.S-based public-safety industry innovation. leaders who were passionate to drive innovation and South African agri-tech startup Aerobotics was reported to improve emergency communications, and opened its global being heavily focused on expanding its operations in the US headquarters in downtown Austin, TX. in 2019, which was one of 11 markets in which the company The Chronicle mentioned that a Zimbabwean businessman operated. Devine Mafa, who was based in the US had partnered with Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa, owner of an unnamed international car manufacturer to set up a vehi- Econet Wireless, was reported to have had businesses and cle assembly plant in Kwekwe. During an interview from the philanthropic activities around the world including across US Mafa said the goal was to build the first truly Zimbabwean the US with a stake in Trilogy International Partners. brand motor vehicle. A new icon for Zimbabwe. Mafa was Bulawayo24 News noted that the sanctions imposed on also the founder of Divine Rags clothing store chain in the US Zimbabwe by the US had several effects ON businesses such Lyco Business Solutions, a Zambian specialised business as Econet Wireless Zimbabwe. advisory and capital raising firm had scooped two In February, Microsoft cut ties with South African EOH after International Finance’s Financial awards. Lyco’s growing an anonymous complaint to the US SEC about a R120m soft- footprint included the US ware deal between EOH and SA’s Dept of Defence. The Herald noted that Presidents Mnangagwa and SA expressed disappointment after the US and other Zambian President Edgar Lungu of Zambia had agreed on a Western powers wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa urging number of issues such as awarding the tender for the con- him to tackle corruption. The U.S, UK, Germany, Netherlands struction of Batoka Hydro to China Power and General and Switzerland sent a joint memorandum to Ramaphosa Electric, a top US firm. through their diplomatic missions in Pretoria to warn that for-

35 Southern Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Entertainment, Arts & Culture

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100

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0 South Zimbabwe Namibia Zambia Africa

In January, a two-year-old from Alexandra, Oratilwe “Arch set to stage his last show of the Peace Tour in Harare before Junior” Hlongwane got a standing ovation after delivering a the firebrand musician would depart to the US thrilling audition on the America’s Got Talent (Champions) Zimbabwean playwright-cum-actor, Danai Gurira called for stage - in a performance. a collaborative effort to take the African narratives across the Other reports noted that US Netflix prices would raise globe. The U.S-based actress said the world was more than monthly subscription prices with between 13% and 18%., ready for narratives from an African perspective because however its South African subscribers would not see a price every time she went to Zimbabwe, she met artists who were increase yet. A Netflix representative said price increases ready to tell powerful untold stories in unexpected ways. were specific to each country. AllAfrica said award winning Zimbabwean gospel artiste SA rapper Nadia Nakai would perform in the US in March as Reverend Togarepi Chivaviro finished his debut tour of the she was chosen to take part in the South by Southwest US in style by holding two events at Lovers Lane United (SXSW) creative gathering in Texas. Methodist and Dallas Wesleyan Methodist churches. SA comedian Trevor Noah who lived in the US and hosted A young couple from the US wrote a memoir titled The Daily Show told his American audience how he had to “Everything Lost Is Found Again: Four Seasons in Lesotho.”, gobble down his biltong at the airport before departure as which described how he lived in a small African nation for a this was one of his favorite things from SA. year. Zimbabwe’s music icon Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo was

36 West Africa

Analysis of daily issue coverage

dŚĞ ŽƚĞ ^ŝĞƌƌĂ EĞǁƐĐĂƚĞŐŽƌLJ EŝŐĞƌŝĂ 'ŚĂŶĂ ĂŵĞƌŽŽŶ >ŝďĞƌŝĂ ^ĞŶĞŐĂů dŽƚĂů 'ĂŵďŝĂ ĚΖ/ǀŽŝƌĞ >ĞŽŶĞ WŽůŝƚŝĐƐ ϲϱϯ ϵϴ ϵϱ ϱϯ ϱϴ ϯ ϭϭ ϲ ϵϳϳ dŽƵƌŝƐŵ͕dƌĂǀĞůΘ>ĞŝƐƵƌĞ ϭϲϯ ϭϯϯ ϯ ϲ ϱϭ Ϯ ϲ ϭϰ ϯϳϴ WĞĂĐĞ͕^ĞĐƵƌŝƚLJΘdĞƌƌŽƌŝƐŵ ϳϳ Ϯϭ ϭϬϱ ϳ Ϯ ϲ ϯ ϮϮϯ ĐŽŶŽŵLJ͕dƌĂĚĞΘĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ϱϮ ϵ ϭ ϭϲ Ϯ ϭϮ ϭ  ϵϯ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐΘ/ŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚƐ ϱϰ ϭϬ ϭ ϰ ϭϭ ϭ  ϴϭ ĚƵĐĂƚŝŽŶ ϵ ϯ ϯ Ϯϱ ϭ Ϯ Ϯ Ϯ ϰϳ ,ĞĂůƚŚΘ&ŽŽĚŝƐƐƵĞƐ ϭϲ ϯ ϲ ϭϵ  ϰϰ ŶƚĞƌƚĂŝŶŵĞŶƚ ϭϬ ϵ  Ϯ Ϯ  Ϯϯ ^ĐŝĞŶĐĞ͕dĞĐŚΘ/ŶŶŽǀĂƚŝŽŶ ϭϮ  ϭ  ϭϯ dŽƚĂů ϭ͕Ϭϰϴ Ϯϴϲ Ϯϭϰ ϭϯϯ ϭϭϰ ϯϮ Ϯϳ Ϯϱ ϭ͕ϴϴϭ 

Politics lations, they had been investigated and prosecuted through US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, tasked the proper judicial channels. government and people of Nigeria to ensure a peaceful and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that his country credible general election because “the world was interested remained committed to a strong partnership with Gambia. and watching.” Mr Symington stated this in Lafia, after meet- The top US diplomat stated this while congratulating ing with Labaran Maku, the Nasarawa State governorship Gambians on the occasion of 54th anniversary of Gambia, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance. which was marked. President Muhammadu Buhari’s party issued a stern warn- US Embassy Freetown welcomed a group of four firefight- ing to the US and other foreign allies for allegedly making ers from Bloomington, Indiana as part of the Young African “unguarded” public statements ahead of Nigeria’s presiden- Leadership Initiative (YALI) reciprocal exchange program. tial polls. The trip was designed and implemented by Sierra Leone This was after the US, Britain and the European Union pub- Mandela Washington Fellowship alumnus Eastina Taylor, licly warned against vote-rigging and election violence and who worked for BBC Media Action. expressed concern over President Muhammadu Buhari’s suspension of Nigeria’s top judge last month. Tourism, Travel & Leisure Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, expressed disappoint- The US Department of Homeland Security and State ment at the US government’s decision to impose visa sanc- Department said they would no longer issue visas for certain tions on Ghana. Ghanaians owing to a “lack of cooperation” by the West Liberia and the US Agency for International Development, African nation—namely its refusal to accept 7,000 Ghanaian USAID, signed an in-kind grant valued at $47 000. The grant nationals that the US wants to deport. Secretary of was expected to fund the training and capacity development Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said Ghana had “denied of at least 25 staffs at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in moni- or unreasonably delayed accepting their nationals ordered toring and evaluation, who would serve as training officers removed from the United States.” and Monitoring and Evaluation technicians to track and Reports said that Presidential candidate of the People’s monitor the progress of the Liberia Decentralisation Support Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar’s recent visit to the Programme. US to meet with top US diplomats and lawmakers was possi- Cameroon’s Ministry of External Relations denied allega- ble due to a temporary suspension of a travel ban linked to tions that its army was using US military assistance to carry decade-old bribery scandals out human rights violations. The ministry said in a statement Liberian Observer said that as the deadline loomed that while they acknowledged instances of human rights vio- towards the expiration of the Deferred Enforced Departure

37 Analysis of daily issue coverage status of thousands of Liberians in the United States, Liberian and Indonesia. Diaspora leaders and activists were gathering in Washington As the company explained, the initiative was designed to DC for a last ditch effort to seek reprieve. protect and preserve the unique flavours of each of the three Media reports on US visa restriction on Ghana for non-com- country’s cocoa harvests, which were a key element of their pliance mentioned that in 2017 September, Sierra Leone and respective economies. The Gambia were also hit with Visa restrictions for similar rea- sons. Science, Technology and Innovation USAID Project for Revenue Generation for Governance and Peace, Security & Terrorism Growth (RG3), or RG3 Project, donated sets of information The US cut defence assistance to Cameroon due to con- technology (IT) equipment to the Liberia Revenue Authority cerns over human rights violations, an official said. A State (LRA), a release said. According to the release, the equipment Department official said that the US appreciated Cameroon’s was intended to augment the capacity of the LRA’s data cen- contributions in fighting Boko Haram extremists from neigh- ter, including its IT infrastructure. Laura Garnett, USAID bouring Nigeria but had concerns about a deadly crackdown Liberia’s Good Governance Team Leader, made the presenta- on a revolt at home. tion at the entity’s headquarters. The US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington, urged all the candidates in the general elections in Nigeria to honour Education the peace accord they signed in the run-up to the elections. In The US Consul General, John Bray, said that his country a statement in Abuja the Ambassador said invested millions of dollars to advance gender equality across Ghana, Cameroon and Senegal were among more than 30 sub-Saharan Africa. He stated that this was done through African and western partner nations that would participate in sponsorship of activities that promote political and economic Flintlock 2019 at multiple locations in Burkina Faso and opportunities for women, access to health and education ser- Mauritania from February 18 – March 1, 2019. Flintlock was an vices and prevention or response to gender-based violence. annual, African-led, integrated military and law enforcement Other reports stated that the United Methodist Church tee- exercise that had strengthened key partner nation forces tered on the brink of breakup after more than half the dele- throughout North and West Africa as well as western Special gates at an international conference voted to maintain bans Operations Forces since 2005. on same-sex weddings and ordination of gay clergy.

Economy, Trade & Development Entertainment Reports said that the US African Development Foundation Media reports said that two years following its release, (USADF) and All On officially opened the application window Davido’s song ‘fall’ continued to set records globally, includ- for the 2019 Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge, which would ing being Nigeria’s top song on the Billboard music charts. provide up to $100,000 in blended finance per enterprise for The ‘Aye’ hitmaker announced a release date for the remix of successful applicants. the song, which he revealed, would be featuring international USADF, a founding member of Power Africa and an indepen- super star, Busta Rhymes. dent US government agency established by Congress to sup- A short film -Gifts from Babylon- which was co-produced by port and invest in African-owned and led enterprises and All a Dutch-Gambian, was selected in competition for Best Short On, an impact investing company backed by Shell investing Narrative at the upcoming Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), in off grid energy solution providers, established the chal- the largest black film festival in the United States. lenge as a multi-year partnership to identify and help scale innovative off-grid solutions to “power up” underserved areas. Health & Food issues The US Agency for International Development -USAID- Business & Investments reported in a recent memo that between March and May this The Punch stated that Investors drawn from the Nigerian pri- year, 1.4 million people were expected to be food insecure in vate and public sectors were set to meet with their counter- the Anglophone and West regions of Cameroon. parts in the US to discuss available technological opportuni- Other reports said that the administration of US President ties in the emerging markets. Donald Trump cut funding for UNFPA in April 2017, accusing The US-headquartered Guittard Chocolate Company, as part it of cooperating with coercive abortions or involuntary steril- of its Cultivate BetterTM sustainability platform, reported an ization as part of the Chinese government’s one-child policy, expansion of its flavour quality work in Ghana, Ivory Coast, which has now been phased out.

38 West Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Politics

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Significant reports in the West African region focused on on 23 February damaged public confidence in the process the Nigerian elections. The Daily Trust reported that the All and probably reduced voter turnout, the US observer mis- Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council sion said. The observer mission said with early results about cautioned the US and other Western countries over their to start trickling in. It was unclear when a winner would be “unguarded statements on the election.” The council said declared but the vote pitting President Muhammadu Buhari they were deeply concerned about many of the expressions against businessman and ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar of the US’ Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador W. Stuart was expected to be Nigeria’s tightest since the end of mili- Symington and other Western Diplomats which had been tary rule in 1999. directed towards Nigeria’s upcoming elections. Other In Ghana, substantial reports said the US was imposing visa reports noted that Former US President Bill Clinton had can- restrictions on Ghana, accusing the African country of not celled his trip to Nigeria ahead of the general elections, say- cooperating in accepting its citizens ordered removed from ing the visit could be “politicized.” the US. Reports said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “has ordered consular officers in Ghana to implement visa Clinton was scheduled to visit the capital, Abuja, alongside restrictions on certain categories of visa applicants,” the Baroness Patricia Scotland, the Secretary-General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement. Commonwealth. The planned trip was facilitated by the Kofi It added that without an appropriate response from Ghana, Annan Foundation and the National Peace Committee the scope of these sanctions may be expanded to a wider (NPC). Numerous reports noted that US President Donald population, the statement said. Trump’s top foreign policy adviser, Ambassador John Times Union reported that the US had cut some military aid Bolton, urged Nigerians to ensure that the 23 February elec- to Cameroon over human rights concerns but the countries’ tions in the country were peaceful. Bolton said this in a tweet relations remained excellent, the US ambassador, while the by the US Embassy in its twitter account @ central African nation’s government remained silent. USEmbassyAbuja. The National Security Adviser of the US Ambassador Peter Henry Barlerin said they were not going also called on all the candidates in the election to accept the to stop security cooperation with Cameroon despite their dif- results Business Ghana reported that a week-long delay in ferences. The Pentagon and State Department said the holding Nigeria’s presidential election before it took place reduced US support involved armoured vehicles, boats, air-

39 Politics craft upkeep and parts, helicopter training and an invitation to Eastina Taylor, who works for BBC Media Action. a partnership program. Some 300 US troops were based in Major reports noted that US Congressman Hank Johnson, a the northern town of Garoua to train and assist Cameroon’s senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, con- military, including in its fight against extremism. demned the shooting death of Ghanaian journalist Ahmed In Liberia, several international partners including the US Hussein-Suale, who was killed in Ghana’s capital Accra. Embassy expressed serious anger over the prolonged delay Hussein-Suale was an undercover journalist, and in 2018, he by the government to pass laws against gender – based vio- was part of a team who investigated the widespread corrup- lence and female genital mutilation. Other reports said in tion in Ghanaian and the international soccer where 100 ref- efforts to save Liberia’s image in the diplomatic circle interna- erees, who took bribes led to the outright dissolution of the tionally, Senators had invited the country’s top envoy to the Ghana Football Association. US George S. W. Patten to return from the mission and face A team of investigators from the United Kingdom and the US proper Senate confirmation hearing, in spite of his nomination arrived in Ghana to assist police to search for the Takoradi and commissioning by President George Manneh Weah. kidnapped girls. Their arrival followed a petition to the two President Weah nominated and subsequently commissioned countries to help Ghana locate the girls who had gone miss- Patten in late December as Liberia’s ambassador to US while ing between August 2018 and January 2019. lawmakers were still on their regular break. The Liberian Observer mentioned that US President Donald US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that his country Trump said he was committed to working with the remained committed to a strong partnership with The Government of Liberia to “advance their common agenda Gambia. The top US diplomat stated this while congratulating and deepen the strong and abiding friendship between our Gambians on the occasion of 54th anniversary of The two countries.” Gambia. Minor reports said US Embassy Freetown welcomed Representative Yekeh Kolubah of Montserrado County a group of four fire-fighters from Bloomington, Indiana as part District 10 said he had written to the US Government to deny of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) reciprocal the Letter of Credence of Liberia’s Ambassador-designate to exchange program. The trip was designed and implemented that country, because of constitutional violations committed by Sierra Leone Mandela Washington Fellowship alumnus by President George Weah.

40 West Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Economy, Trade & Development

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In December, the US government’s Millennium Investigations Department (CID) of Ghana Police Service Challenge Corporation and the Senegalese government and Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO). signed a new five-year US $550 million power deal. The US government’s Millennium Challenge Senegal would contribute an additional $50 million to the Corporation and the Senegalese government signed a compact, bringing the total program to $600 million. The new five-year US $550 million power deal. Senegal would Senegal Power Compact was expected to benefit over 12 contribute an additional $50 million to the compact, million people and consists of three projects, including a bringing the total program to $600 million. The Senegal project which aimed to increasing access to electricity in Power Compact was expected to benefit over 12 million rural and peri-urban areas. According to the statement people and consists of three projects, including a project signed in Monrovia by the US Ambassador to Liberia which aimed to increasing access to electricity in rural Christine Elder, President George Weah, both countries and peri-urban areas. According to the statement signed would continue to work to fulfil the responsibilities they in Monrovia by the US Ambassador to Liberia Christine had assumed in connection with their collaborative Elder, President George Weah, both countries would con- efforts. The America Government announced its intention tinue to work to fulfil the responsibilities they had to support Liberia’s Pro-Poor Agenda, with a planned assumed in connection with their collaborative efforts. budget of approximately U$112 million for the 2018 fiscal The America Government announced its intention to sup- year. port Liberia’s Pro-Poor Agenda, with a planned budget of Front Page Africa Online cited that fresh from receiving a approximately U$112 million for the 2018 fiscal year. US$112 million aid package from the US , President Front Page Africa Online cited that fresh from receiving a George Weah would prepare for a daunting diplomatic US$112 million aid package from the US , President task amid a US -China trade war that kept worsening. George Weah would prepare for a daunting diplomatic As leader of the tiny west African nation with enormous task amid a US -China trade war that kept worsening. challenges, Weah’s administration may be caught As leader of the tiny west African nation with enormous between the two global powers albeit rivals. The US challenges, Weah’s administration may be caught issued a warning to governments of six African countries between the two global powers albeit rivals. The US including Ghana of the existence of two con artists dup- issued a warning to governments of six African countries ing unsuspecting citizens in those countries under the including Ghana of the existence of two con artists dup- guise of cryptocurrency investment. This came after the ing unsuspecting citizens in those countries under the reported manhunt for the directors of a crypto-currency guise of cryptocurrency investment. This came after the syndicate in Ghana who had allegedly swindled more reported manhunt for the directors of a crypto-currency than 3,000 people of their deposits by the Criminal syndicate in Ghana who had allegedly swindled more

41 Economy, Trade & Development than 3,000 people of their deposits by the Criminal grant was expected to fund the training and capacity devel- Investigations Department (CID) of Ghana Police Service and opment of at least 25 staffs at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO). in monitoring and evaluation, who would serve as training In February, the Punch reported that investors drawn from officers and Monitoring and Evaluation technicians to track the Nigerian private and public sectors were set to meet with and monitor the progress of the Liberia Decentralisation their counterparts in the US to discuss available technologi- Support Programme. cal opportunities in the emerging markets. The investors Liberian Observer reported that the USAID Project for were scheduled to meet during a trade mission organised by Revenue Generation for Governance and Growth (RG3), or the Nigerian American chamber of commerce. RG3 Project, donated sets of information technology (IT) A message circulated on social messaging app WhatsApp equipment to the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA). The claiming that the US President Donald Trump had revealed equipment was intended to augment the capacity of the the names of top Nigerians who were killing the Nigerian LRA’s data centre, including its IT infrastructure. US Secretary economy. The names of top members of the ruling All of State Mike Pompeo said that his country remained com- Progressives Congress or people close to President mitted to a strong partnership with The Gambia. The fore- Muhammadu Buhari, the stolen funds they were purportedly most US diplomat stated this while congratulating Gambians kept in the US banks. on the 54th independence anniversary of The Gambia. Liberia and the US Agency for International Development, (USAID), have signed an in-kind grant valued at $47 000. The

42 West Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Peace, Security & Terrorism

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In December, reports from Nigeria said the US announced who sprang up from peaceful protests against the alleged the designation of the Boko Haram terrorist group as an enti- marginalization of English-speakers in the largely ty “of particular concern”. The US Secretary of State Michael Francophone country. Pompeo in a statement, designated Boko Haram alongside In Liberia, USAID and the US Government supported a plu- the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), al-Qa’ida and ralistic, open and free media as a corner stone of the devel- al-Shabab. Furthermore, Boko Haram terrorist activities oping democracy. To this end, USAID in Liberia had funded claimed thousands of people’s lives, and affected millions of Internews network to implement the Liberia media develop- families, leaving behind huge humanitarian crises, accord- ment program. ing to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo met with Affairs. Senegalese Prime Minister Mohammed Dionne in The humanitarian crisis in North East Nigeria that had Washington, D.C. The Secretary reiterated the United States’ spilled into neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, was commitment to Senegal with the signing of Senegal’s sec- described as one of the most severe in the world. In North ond Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact. The $600 East Nigeria, 10 years of conflict had left more than seven million compact would strengthen electrical transmission million people in dire need of help in the three worst-affect- links in Dakar, expand electricity coverage in rural areas, and ed states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. In other reports, the improve overall governance of the power sector. US assured the Nigerian military that it would ensure the The Secretary and the Prime Minister also discussed ways delivery of 12 A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft purchased to cooperate on matters of regional security. Senegal was by the Federal Government in its fight against the Boko the eighth largest contributor to UN peacekeeping and had Haram terrorists. more than 1,400 troops as part of the peacekeeping mission Media reports from Cameroon said the top US diplomat in in Mali. Africa stated that the separatist crisis in Cameroon could get In January, US, UK and the European Union expressed much worse, saying “the last thing we need” was growing concern after Nigeria’s president suspended the country’s radicalization in response to the actions of security forces. chief justice three weeks before the presidential election, Tibor Nagy told reporters that the situation in the Central with the US warning it could “cast a pall” over the vote in African nation was worsening by the day and “worrying Africa’s most populous nation. President Muhammadu greatly.” He added that the US calls for dialogue between Buhari set off an uproar by announcing the suspension, cit- Cameroon’s government and the Anglophone separatists ing corruption allegations.

43 Peace, Security & Terrorism

A U.S-based Ghanaian, Daniel Kankam, had been arrested Niger forces synchronise its operations through improved by the Alexandia Police, Virginia in the US for allegedly mur- communications, US Ambassador Eric Whitaker said during dering one Somaya Hussein Ahmed. According to a report by the handover ceremony. a publication, the 44-year old suspect was arrested after the In Ghana, US Ambassador, Stephanie Sullivan paid courtesy police responded to a call at which time the victim’s body calls on three former Presidents of Ghana, John Agyekum was discovered. Kufuor, Jerry John Rawlings, and John Dramani Manama. In February, Cameroon’s ministry of external relations The US Embassy in Accra in a tweet said her visit to the for- denied allegations that its army was using US military assis- mer presidents was aimed at discussing how the US and tance to carry out human rights violations. The statement Ghana could work together to advance enterprise-driven eco- came after the US announced that it had decided to cut nomic growth and trade, regional security, and good gover- defence assistance to the country due to concern over nance. alleged human rights abuses. Numerous frames said the US A US military delegation being led by Major General stated that it was cutting some military aid to Cameroon over Leonard Isabelle, Assistant Adjutant Guard, Michigan National human rights concerns after growing allegations of abuses Guard, paid a courtesy call on Defense Minister Daniel by security forces, a significant step against a solid ally in cen- Ziankahn, the Minister of National Defense, in Liberia. tral Africa that was gripped by fighting between the govern- Gen. Isabelle said they were happy to continue working to ment and Anglophone separatists. improve the Liberian Military through partnership and looked The US decision came after videos circulated in 2018 show- forward to sending professionals from the army over to the US ing Cameroonian security forces shooting and killing civilians, for training in helping to make the military hospital successful. including women with small children strapped to their backs. In Senegal reports said more than 2,000 service members The videos were documented by Amnesty International and from more than 30 African and western partner nations would global media outlets. participate in Flintlock 2019 at multiple locations in Burkina In Nigeria, the US Ambassador, Stuart Symington, said that Faso and Mauritania from 18 February – 1 March, 2019. his country had concern for a peaceful and prosperous dem- Flintlock was an annual, African-led, integrated military and ocratic Nigeria. He added that security was one major prob- law enforcement exercise that had strengthened key partner lem the country faced ahead of the coming general election. nation forces throughout North and West Africa as well as According to News Agency of Nigeria, Symington stated this western Special Operations Forces since 2005. Flintlock was when he visited the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed US Africa Command’s premier and largest annual Special Adamu, in Abuja. Operations Forces exercise. The Muscat Daily reported that the US turned over a com- munications and operations centre to the Niger army to help the African nation battle Boko Haram. The planning and oper- ations control centre, worth US$16.5m, was designed to help

44 West Africa

Business & Investments

60 Nigeria, John Bray said the dialogue was meant to facilitate key investments 50 like Lagos State and Rendeavour. In February, reports said Morgan 40 Chase urged a London court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Nigerian gov- 30 ernment that argued the US bank facili- tated the misappropriation of state 20 funds amounting to $875m. Other reports noted that the USADF

10 and All On officially opened the applica- tion window for the 2019 Nigeria Off- Grid Energy Challenge, which would 0 provide up to $100,000 in blended Nigeria Senegal Ghana Liberia Cameroon Cote d'Ivoire finance per enterprise for successful applicants. Investors drawn from the Nigerian private and public sectors In December, The US government’s American Business Forum (NABF) stat- were set to meet with their counterparts Millennium Challenge Corporation and ed at its 2019 Investment Conference in the US to discuss available techno- the Senegalese government have with the theme: ‘Entrepreneurship in logical opportunities in the emerging signed a new five-year US $550 million Africa: Challenges and Opportunities’ at markets. power deal. Senegal would contribute Tampa, Florida. The President of the Reports cited that the new US an additional $50 million to the com- forum, Kenneth Shobola, said the forum Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie S. pact, bringing the total program to $600 aimed to impact the wealth of experi- Sullivan highlighted four key priorities million. The Senegal Power Compact ence of accomplished Nigerian to be pursued during her tenure in was expected to benefit over 12 million Diasporas for the rapid development of Ghana. They encompassed increasing people and consists of three projects, their homeland. Deputy Head of economic growth and trade, promoting including a project which aims to Mission at the Nigerian Embassy in private sector driven development, increasing access to electricity in rural Washington, Hassan Hassan, chal- improving regional security and and peri-urban areas. lenged NABF to proffer practicable solu- strengthening good governance. In Libera, three USAID-funded water tions to Nigeria’s challenges consider- Confectionery production cited that projects, valued at US$29 million, were ing their wealth of experience in the US the U.S-headquartered Guittard dedicated in Robertsport, Grand Cape Chocolate Company, as part of its Mount County; Sanniquellie, Nimba The US had given its full support to Cultivate BetterTM sustainability plat- County; and Voinjama, Lofa County. Rendeavour, Africa’s largest urban form, had reported an expansion of its Implemented under the Capital developer, which was in partnership flavour quality work in Ghana, Ivory Improvement Project, three water treat- with the Lagos State Government in the Coast, and Indonesia. The initiative was ment facilities in the three provincial cit- development of Alaro City. The new city designed to protect and preserve the ies were restored with safe drinking was a product of a joint development unique flavours of each of the three water for the inhabitants. initiative launched by the US and the country’s cocoa harvests, which were a In January, a Nigerian professional federal government, known as US key element of their respective econo- forum in the US had put measures in Nigeria Commercial and Investment mies. place to attract an estimated $3 billion Dialogue. The US Commercial Service investment into the Nigerian economy Counsellor Brent Omdahl, who repre- in the next three years. The Nigerian sented the US Counsel General in

45 West Africa

Tourism, Travel & Leisure

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In December, Numerous reports mentioned that the presi- Dulles International Airport to five days a week. The airline dential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would continue to operate flights between the Dulles airport Alhaji Atiku Abubakar returned to Abuja after failing to secure and Dakar, Senegal and onwards to Johannesburg, two days assurances from the Dept of Justice that he would not be per week. The service would be provided on the only wide- arrested in the US Atiku who was reported to have been body aircraft flying nonstop between the US and Senegal. granted a US visa to travel to the country was in London prior Pulse reported that Ghanaian US-based artist named Charles to his departure to the America. Taylor aka Ras Bobo was in police custody for possessing a Other reports mentioned that the embassy of the US in substance believed to be cocaine. Charles Taylor was arrest- Nigeria said its consular services were open and advised ed by security agents at the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta those with scheduled appointments to visit the facilities in International Airport at the last checkpoint before he could Lagos and Abuja. board a Delta Airline. Naija News highlighted that National Assembly had sum- Sierra Leone received 27 deportees from the US who had moned the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, not complied with the country’s laws, reports said. over the alleged high rate of visa denial of Nigerians. The invi- Liberia’s Fire Service Agency was anticipating positive out- tation was said to be at the instance of an activist, Kayode come from the current visit of the Fire Chief of the State of Bello, who petitioned the House over the matter. Virginia. Officials said the long-running logistical nightmare of In January, In Nigeria, significant frames said the US embas- the country’s Fire Service may soon be a ‘thing of the past’- sy in Abuja and its consulate in Lagos had suspended opera- thanks to the visit of John Butler. Butler, the Liberian born tions indefinitely due to its government shutdown. Despite Virginia State’s Fire Service boss, was in Liberia to assess the the closure, Olisa TV reported that the embassy and consulate challenges faced by the Liberia National Fire Service. would remain open for all consular business, including visa In February, reports said the US said it was imposing visa interviews. restrictions on Ghana, accusing the African country of not Other reports said Former Vice President and Presidential cooperating in accepting its citizens from the US candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Ghana’s foreign ministry denied US allegations of non-coop- Abubakar was on his way back to Nigeria after a two-day US eration in taking back thousands of its deported nationals, visit. Atiku’s visit to the US had generated so much talking which had led to visa restrictions. A statement by the West points since the current preparations ahead of 2019 African nation noted the restrictions “with concern and disap- Presidential election race. pointment.” In Ghana, SAA expanded its non-stop service between Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) seizure of shipments Ghana and the US. SAA announced that it would increase its continued when officers bagged another 410 pounds in air frequency on nonstop flights between the Ghanaian capital cargo at Washington Dulles International Airport. Accra’s Kotoka International Airport and Washington D.C’s

46 West Africa

Health & Food issues

Government of Ghana partners and civil 21 society organizations to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the US 18 President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in Ghana, through an anti-stigma 15 and discrimination campaign. In February, Liberia and the USAID, 12 signed an in-kind grant valued at $47 000. The grant was expected to fund 9 the training and capacity development of at least 25 staffs at the Ministry of 6 Internal Affairs in monitoring and evalu- ation, who would serve as training offi- 3 cers and Monitoring and Evaluation technicians to track and monitor the 0 progress of the Liberia Decentralisation Liberia Nigeria Cameroon Ghana Support Programme. US Consul-general in Lagos urged In December, reports said the US stat- ment facilities in the three provincial cit- women and girls to demonstrate their ed that Nigeria might be closer to ies were restored with safe drinking determination and drive to succeed in achieving HIV epidemic control than water for the inhabitants. Liberia Water any career path they choose. John Bray, previously thought. and Sewer Corporation Managing the US consul-general, challenged them The US President’s Emergency Plan Director Duannah Kamara, classified the to learn more about successful women for AIDS Relief with the government and water facilities as the biggest USAID- in Science, Technology, Engineering, Nigeria had prevented millions of funded projects in West Africa and and Mathematics, STEM fields, and Nigerians from being infected by and called on the benefiting counties to draw inspiration from them. Devex dying from HIV. Brooks added that in maintain the facilities to avoid anyone reported that at Adeoyo Hospital in Nigeria alone, the US had invested more misusing them. Ibadan, Nigeria, reproductive health than $5 billion in the national HIV/AIDS Cameroon was the recipient of a new supplies were kept in the special store response. Business Day reported that public health emergency centre con- located almost directly beneath the USAID and the Coca-cola Foundation structed with the support of the US accident and emergency unit. The store through their Water and Development Defence Threat Reduction Agency. The serves hospitals and NGOs conducting Alliance partnership commissioned a facility, would provide training for hospi- family planning work across the south- project to improve access to safe water tal staff and helped to detect disease west region of the country. But stock and sanitation services for more than outbreaks. The US Department of was rapidly depleting. 44,800 persons in Abia and Cross River Agriculture offered a grant of 27 million In Cameroon reports said Between states in southern Nigeria. US dollars (circa FCFA14 billion) to March and May 2019, 1.4 million people The Liberian Observer reported that Cameroon for a nutrition and literacy were expected to be food insecure in three USAID-funded water projects, val- programme for primary schools in four the Anglophone and West regions of ued at US$29 million, were dedicated in regions. The grant was set to benefit the Cameroon, the USAID- reported in a Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount 200,000 people in the Adamawa, East, recent memo. In addition, 7% of the County; Sanniquellie, Nimba County; North and North West regions where it’s regions’ population, or about 486,000 and Voinjama, Lofa County. set to be implemented within a period persons, would suffer food crisis over Implemented under the Capital of five years. the same period, the agency said. Improvement Project, three water treat- The US Embassy in Ghana joined the

47 West Africa

Science, Technology & Innovation

5 their counterparts in the US to discuss available technological opportunities in the emerging markets. 4 The investors were scheduled to meet during a trade mis- sion organised by the Nigerian-American chamber of Commerce, where Nigerian delegates would be taken to the 3 Silicon Valley in the US, for a five-day networking session with investors in that region. 2 The Nation reported that the US Consul General to Nigeria John Bray had called for greater support for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine (STEM). He 1 spoke at a ceremony marking the 2019 International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The event was organized by the US Mission in Nigeria in col- 0 South Mauritius Lesotho Namibia laboration with Youth Empowerment Restoration and Africa Initiative (YERI) 2020 and Silverbird Cinemas. Bray encour- aged female students to show greater interest in STEM to pre- pare them for the future. In December, The Daily Post reported that Lazarus Angbazo, The US African Development Foundation (USADF) and All the President of the American Business Council, said that US On officially opened the application window for the 2019 companies operating in Nigeria were keen on engineering Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge, which would provide up training and development and spent over N1.6 billion in 2017 to $100,000 in blended finance per enterprise for successful from N340 million they spent in 2016. Angbazo the CEO of applicants. General Electric (GE) in Nigeria, said that a talent survey car- Now in the second year of an initial three-year partnership, ried out by the company showed a clear deficit in the area of the parties would jointly provide funding to 100% African engineering profession. owned and operated small and medium enterprises that Other reports said the US reiterated its commitment to pro- improve energy access through off-grid energy solutions tect the future of Nigeria through supporting initiatives that spanning solar, wind, hydro, biomass and gas technologies. empower and equip young people in business and technolo- The USAID Project for Revenue Generation for Governance gy. Speaking during the flag off of a two-day workshop for and Growth (RG3), or RG3 Project, donated sets of informa- emerging entrepreneurs in Lagos, the Public Affairs Officer, tion technology (IT) equipment to the Liberia Revenue United States Consulate General Lagos, Russell Brooks, Authority (LRA. The equipment was intended to augment the advised on charging participants on how to stay afloat in a capacity of the LRA’s data centre, including its IT infrastruc- tumultuous business climate. Brooks also reiterated the diplo- ture. Laura Garnett, USAID Liberia’s Good Governance Team matic commitment of the US government in Africa, particular- Leader, said the equipment were part of efforts aimed at sup- ly Nigeria. porting the work of the LRA, to enhance its tax collection and In February, news frames stated that investors drawn from domestic resource mobilization program. the Nigerian private and public sectors were set to meet with

48 North Africa

Analysis of News Categories

EĞǁƐĐĂƚĞŐŽƌLJ ŐLJƉƚ >ŝďLJĂ DŽƌŽĐĐŽ dƵŶŝƐŝĂ dŽƚĂů

WĞĂĐĞ͕^ĞĐƵƌŝƚLJΘdĞƌƌŽƌŝƐŵ ϭϱϰ ϭϱϴ ϱϮ Ϯϯ ϯϴϵ WŽůŝƚŝĐƐ ϭϮϲ ϱϯ ϭϰ ϵ ϮϬϮ ĐŽŶŽŵLJ͕dƌĂĚĞΘĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ϱϵ ϰϲ Ϯϭ ϭ ϭϮϳ dŽƵƌŝƐŵ͕dƌĂǀĞůΘ>ĞŝƐƵƌĞ ϲϬ ϭϰ ϭϱ ϲ ϵϲ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐΘ/ŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚƐ ϯϳ ϮϮ ϱ ϭ ϲϲ ,ĞĂůƚŚΘ&ŽŽĚŝƐƐƵĞƐ ϭϲ ϰ ϭ ϭ Ϯϯ ŶƚĞƌƚĂŝŶŵĞŶƚ ϭϬ Ϯ ϲ ϭ ϭϵ ĚƵĐĂƚŝŽŶ ϰ ϱ Ϯ ϭ ϭϮ ƌƚƐΘƵůƚƵƌĞ ϭϬ ϭ ϭ  ϭϮ ^ĐŝĞŶĐĞ͕dĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJΘ/ŶŶŽǀĂƚŝŽŶ ϱ Ϯ ϭ  ϴ dŽƚĂů ϰϴϭ ϯϬϲ ϭϭϴ ϰϯ ϵϱϰ  Peace, Security & Terrorism participate in Exercise Flintlock 2019, the biggest integrated Minor Internet Media said joint US/Libyan forces raided an al African-hosted military and law enforcement training in Africa Qaeda site in the Libyan city Ubari. Spokesperson for Fayez and the US. Sixteen African countries would participate, includ- al-Sarraj, head of the Presidency Council of the Tripoli-based ing Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mali, and Mauritania. The US, Government of National Accord of Libya, said in a statement a Japan, and thirteen European countries would also join the site with a number of al Qaeda members in Ubari was “raided” exercises. but gave no details. Other reports said Libya’s U.N.-backed government said that Economy, Trade & Development joint Libyan and US forces had bombed alleged al-Qaeda mili- Egypt Today stated that State Department spokesman Robert tants in a southern desert town. Tripoli-based government Palladino congratulated Egypt on assuming the presidency of spokesman Mohammed al-Salak said the bombing took place the African Union for 2019, saying that the US “looks forward to in the town of Ubari, about 950 kilometers, or 590 miles, south working together on the shared goal of a stable and prosper- of the capital, Tripoli. ous Africa.” Reuters stated that the US military denied taking part in a raid Other reports indicated that Egypt’s General Authority for on an al Qaeda site in the Libyan city of Ubari, contradicting a Supply Commodities (GASC) set a tender to buy an unspecified statement by a Libyan official. amount of wheat from global suppliers for shipment from Egypt was keen on continuing its strategic relations with the March 21-31. GASC Vice Chairman Ahmed Youssef said the US, praising the support and the military assistance provided authority was seeking to buy cargoes of soft and/or milling by Washington over the past three decades, especially in these wheat from the United States, Canada, Australia, France, circumstances as Egypt was fighting terrorism and extremism. Germany, Poland, Argentina, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Egypt’s Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki discussed military Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Paraguay. cooperation and the exchange of military expertise with com- Minor Internet Media stated that US investment firm The mander of the US Central Command General Joseph Votel in a Guidry Group outlined strategic reasons for American invest- meeting in Cairo. Zaki and Votel also discussed recent develop- ment in Africa. The Texas-based international firm was leading ments in the Middle East regarding the war on terrorism. the way for US investment on the continent through building Some reports said a joint US-led military exercise took place in and developing the $1.5 billion ‘Port of Susah’ – North Africa’s Mauritania, involving forces from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and most highly-automated and largest deep-sea port near the city Mauritania. The military exercise, conducted by the internation- of Susah in Libya. al forces in Mauritania and Burkina Faso, took place from Other reports said President Donald Trump signed into law February 18 to March 1. the 2019 appropriation legislation that stipulated explicitly that Minor internet news reported that more than 2,000 soldiers the assistance funds allocated to Morocco would also benefit representing 30 African and Western partner countries would the Sahara. Morocco welcomed the text, which recognized

49 Analysis of News Categories

Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara southern provinces, as But the protests that broke out eight years ago had sharply it was unequivocally pro-Morocco and unusually forthcoming different outcomes in different countries. on US development funds for the Sahara. Other reports said the US was concerned by ongoing ten- sions in southern Libya, which had prolonged the closure of Tourism, Travel & Leisure critical oil infrastructure and deprived all Libyans of vital eco- Wall Street Journal said Egyptian authorities denied entry to nomic resources. a New York Times journalist, detaining him at Cairo’s interna- tional airport before putting him on a flight back to London. Entertainment An unexplained move amid a government clampdown on the Rami Malek, the son of Egyptian immigrants, won the Oscar media. David D. Kirkpatrick, a former bureau chief for the New for Best Actor. Arab websites were both ecstatic about his York Times in Cairo, was detained at the airport for seven win, and curiously silent about Malek’s background. Here was hours without an explanation. the story as Al Jazeera covered it: The actor of Egyptian Minor Internet Media said Morocco was among the destina- descent said his win for the role of late Queen frontman tions that American travelers were fancying in 2018. Freddie Mercury was ‘monumental moment’ According to a list compiled by Squaremouth, an online com- Al-Arabiya was equally cryptic about his identity: “Rami pany that compared travel insurance products from every Malek, whose parents immigrated from Egypt to the United major provider in the United States, American tourists’ favorite States, took home the best actor prize for his turn as Freddie destinations include Africa and South America. Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Other reports said the State Department rejected more than 37,000 visa applications in 2018 because of the Trump Arts & Culture administration’s travel ban, up from fewer than 1,000 the pre- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said his government vious year, when the ban hadn’t fully taken effect. would build synagogues and provide services to the Jewish community if there was a resurgence of the community in his Education country. Sisi made the statement during a meeting with a US Three universities in Egypt partnered with American univer- delegation. sities to create Centers of Excellence in energy, water, and Minor Internet Media said ancient Egypt now resided inside agriculture. Supported by an investment of $90 million the Cincinnati Museum Center via a collection of artifacts dat- through the USAID. The centers would set up linkages ing back more than 4,500 years. Making its US debut, Egypt: between Egyptian universities and leading US universities, The Time of Pharaohs gave a sweeping look at Egyptian life help forge relationships between Egyptian and American five millenia ago, from the gods they worshipped to the flour- researchers and experts, and drive research and innovation in ishing arts scene to the everyday lives of both commoners sectors that were key to Egypt’s future economic growth. and the ruling class.

Politics Health & Food issues Minor Internet Media reported that the Egyptian govern- Reuters said decades ago, Egypt had a family-planning pro- ment terminated a contract with a top US lobbying firm days gram, supported by the United States. The fertility rate fell after the American broadcaster CBS grilled Egypt’s president from 5.6 children per woman in 1976 to 3.0 in 2008 while the Abdel Fattah el-Sisi about his human rights record. use of contraceptives went up from 18.8% to 60.3%. Large Reports said the US viewed the Arab Spring as an opportu- amounts of contraceptives were made available and adver- nity to advance American values and promote democracy. tisements increased demand for birth control.

50 North Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Politics

the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ATCA could also apply to for- 140 eign states, impacting allies in the Middle East such as Egypt, Jordad and beyond. 120 Reports said the US should have learned something from its regime change ventures in Libya Iraq and Syria and its long, 100 violent history of sponsoring regime change in Latin America. This was emphasised in an open letter to the US by civil soci- 80 ety leaders, and other experts in Venezuela. The US was reportedly making war, ‘’killing people’’ — in 60 Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, L Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen principally to control the flow of oil out of the Mideast and 40 North Africa. The US was accused of using the oil as a weap- on against its economic rivals from Germany to China. 20 Pompeo reportedly met with two Saudi officials for an hour, where they discussed tensions with Iran, the conflicts in Syria, 0 Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan and the Khashoggi case. Egypt Libya Morocco Tunisia President Trump reportedly reappointed David T. Fischer as US ambassador to Morocco after Senate failed to confirm first In January, Egyptian President Abdelfattah El Sisi discussed nomination due to senatorial adjournment. The president’s boosting bilateral relations and developments in the Middle move suggested he decidedly wanted a major Republican fig- East region with US President Donald Trump. ure in the strategic position in Rabat. The US State Department released a factsheet on A recently discovered letter from Secretary of Defense US-Egyptian relations, describing Egypt as one of the United Casper Weinberger to King Hassan II, revealed an end to a States’ longest-standing strategic partners in the Middle East. two-year split between the US and Morocco over a Libya- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the recently opened Morocco detente, and underscored the importance of re-es- Coptic Cathedral of the Nativity, not far from Cairo. Pompeo tablishing close and respectful bilateral relationship during declared that a Trump-led United States learned from the presidency of Ronald Reagan. At the time, the Reagan Obama’s “mistakes” and was reasserting its “traditional role as Administration viewed Morocco as a “bulwark against Libyan a force for good” in the region. subversion and expansionism in Africa,” and therefore saw Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said that Israel col- this as unhelpful, lending legitimacy to Ghaddafi, and poten- laborated with Egypt in its Sinai operations, stressed that rela- tially setting back the US-Morocco relationship. tions between the two countries strengthened during his term Reports discussed President Obama and President Trump’s in office. During a televised interview – of which US news confusion in foreign policy towards the Middle-East. Reports channel CBS News broadcast only excerpts. Al-Sisi said that said Barack Obama was often paralysed by indecision. At first, the relationship with Israel was the closest now compared he welcomed the 2011 Arab spring when it erupted in Tunisia. with previous Egyptian administrations and it included coop- He gave his blessing to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak’s eration in various field. regime in Egypt. Yet having witnessed the newly elected The family of an American citizen on a hunger strike in an Muslim Brotherhood’s style of governing, he, too, opted for a Egyptian prison urged Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo reliable strongman over Islamist democrats. to use his visit to Cairo to press for the man’s release before it’s Former US Ambassador to Tunisia Jake Walles discussed too late. the significance of the recent appointment of Tunisia’s prime Reports also revealed that the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act minister, Rene Trabelsi as tourism minister. He was the first (ATCA) would take effect on February 1 unless it was ade- Jew to serve in the Tunisian cabinet in decades. The question quately amended or repealed before then, the law would posed was whether this signalled closer ties with Israel damage Israeli national security and US foreign policy toward Times of Israel reported that in an extraordinarily tense

51 Politics exchange with Democratic leaders, President Donald Trump A Human Rights Watch official said El-Sisi’s government threatened to shut down the government unless his pro- was encouraged by the continued silence of its allies. If the posed wall between the US and Mexico was funded and US , U.K. and France wanted to avoid the destabilizing conse- invoked an Israeli wall to defend his position. Prime Minister quences of entrenching authoritarian rule in Egypt, they Benjamin Netanyahu cited another wall, along Israel’s south- should act now. ern border with Egypt, as a model for the US in its bid to stop In one report, a Brooking research proposed a new US migrants from crossing without approval. The Israel-Egypt approach to Libya that centred on the concept of reinvigo- wall was a fraction of the size of Trump’s proposed wall with rated American engagement. For years, US support for the Mexico. U.N. mission had been passive, consisting largely of positive In other news, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry welcomed a words in the Security Council. More sustained and assertive decision by Washington to free up military aid to Cairo that US leadership could make the difference as to whether, this was suspended last year. The US State Department time, the U.N. approach succeeded in uniting Libyans and announced that it had released $195 million in military assis- their international partners, including with an important tance to Egypt after suspending the allocation last year over national conference that might take place in Libya in 2019. concerns about the country’s human rights record. Speaking to Saudi Arabia’s MBC television channel, Egyptian Foreign In a letter to Congress, Trump said that the national emer- Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid welcomed the move, gency declared with respect to Libya was to continue in describing annual US military assistance to Egypt as a pillar effect beyond February 25, 2019. Trump said in a letter to the of Cairo’s “strategic relationship” with Washington leaders of the House of Representatives and Senate. He fur- In February, Egypt cut ties with its top US lobbying firm, ther said the US needed to protect against the diversion of Glover Park Group just days after CBS broadcast a controver- assets or other abuse by persons hindering Libyan national sial interview with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that Cairo reconciliation, including [former Libyan leader Muammar] tried to stop from airing. Qadhafi’s family and associates. The split came just nine days after CBS aired a testy “60 Morocco welcomed US legislation that made funds allocat- Minutes” interview in which the Egyptian president ed to Morocco available for assistance in Western Sahara. appeared surprised by tough questions about political pris- The bill, part of an emergency spending measure signed oners and the 2015 massacre of Muslim Brotherhood sup- February 15 by US President Donald Trump, required that porters in Cairo’s Rabia Square. The interview also touched funds appropriated under Title III for Morocco “shall be on Cairo’s close military cooperation with Israel, a taboo sub- made available for assistance for Western Sahara.”The ject in Egypt. Moroccan Foreign Ministry welcomed the bill as reinforce- The Egyptian parliament approved sweeping measures on ment of US policy to back a negotiated solution to the dis- that would allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to extend his pute over the Western Sahara region based on Morocco’s rule until 2034, further entrenching his authoritarian rule and proposed autonomy plan. enshrining in law the military’s dominance over the country.

52 North Africa

Analysis of News Categories

Peace, Security & Terrorism

180

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0 Libya Egypt Morocco Tunisia Lybia

In December, US President Donald measures taken at Egyptian airports new responsibilities in the fight against Trump reportedly spoke over the over the past few years. extremism, he failed to call out human phone with his Egyptian counterpart Egypt also reportedly opened its first rights abuses in places like Egypt and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to reaffirm the stra- international weapons fair on an event Saudi Arabia and did not mention the tegic partnership between the two that organisers hoped would project a murder of Washington Post journalist countries and discussed countering message to the world that the country Jamal Khashoggi. terrorism and increasing regional stabil- was secure and stable. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab ity. Subsequent reports said President The US Mission to Egypt warmly wel- Emirates, Bahrain and non-Gulf Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with the comed the over forty (40) American Cooperation Council member Egypt Director of US National Intelligence, companies and organizations partici- cut diplomatic, transport and trade ties Dan Coats, in Cairo in the presence of pating in this important event. with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of the Chief of Egyptian General Egypt was named among countries supporting terrorism and their regional Intelligence Service. were so called United Nations ‘’small foe Shi’ite Muslim Iran - something Al-Sisi emphasised the significance of group’’ where US special envoy James Doha denies. The United States, an ally their bilateral relations, asserting Jeffrey outlined what many had criti- of the six-nation Sunni Muslim GCC, Egypt’s keenness on enhancing securi- cized as a vague approach to saw the rift as a threat to efforts to con- ty and intelligence cooperation espe- Washington’s true goals in the conflict. tain Iran and pushed for a united Gulf cially in the field of combating terror- In December, Secretary of State Mike front. ism. Pompeo defended the US withdrawal Libyan officials took steps to shore up Other reports said the commercial from Syria and issued a strong rebuke the state’s control over the country’s oil flights between Egypt and the US of the Obama administration’s Middle wealth as the country’s attorney gener- would resume from January 2019 after East strategy, during a major foreign al issued an arrest warrant for more than three years of suspension. policy address in Egypt. Abdulhakim Belhaj, an Islamist politi- US Secretary of Homeland Security While the secretary challenged cian and terrorist, and his one-time ally Kirstjen Nielsen lauded the security Middle Eastern countries to take on the militia leader Ibrahim Jahdran. In

53 Peace, Security & Terrorism the indictments, the duo was accused of involvement in the in the south to find a compromise solution to enable the massacre of 141 soldiers and civilians loyal to Field Marshal National Oil Corporation (NOC) to resume oil product at the Khalifa Haftar at the Tamenhint airbase in 2017 as well as Sharara oilfield. helping to blockade some of Libya’s largest oil export termi- The statement walked a fine line by failing to explicitly sup- nals. port or condemn either Khalifa Hafter’s Libyan National Army Libya Observer reported that Tunisian Armed Forces (TAF) (LNA) or the Faiez Serraj-led Presidency Council and declared the state of high alert on the border with Libya and Government of National Accord forces. Algeria in anticipation of any sudden terrorist acts, and to The US (AFRICOM) denied carrying out an airstrike target- repel any infiltration attempts by terrorists. The move came ing al-Qaeda in southwest Libya despite the internationally days after the US State Department warned its citizens not to recognized regime in Tripoli insisting they had involved their travel to Tunisia because of what it called “increased risk and American colleagues in a joint attack. terrorist attacks against foreign and security targets. The spokesperson for the chairman of the Presidential In February, Egyptian Armed Forces commander was quot- Council of Libya said that a site with several al-Qaeda mili- ed saying Egypt’s Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki dis- tants in Ubari, southwestern Libya, was raided by joint US cussed military cooperation and the exchange of military -Libyan forces. According to the Libya Observer, Mohammed expertise with commander of the US Central Command El Sallak declined to give further details but said the airstrike General Joseph Votel in a meeting in Cairo. was conducted within the cooperation between the New US pressure was placed on countries like Egypt to Presidential Council and the US to fight terrorism. change their approach and laws to the LGBT community. Morocco’s foreign minister Nasser Bourita was expected to The Trump administration was reportedly working to use take part in the Middle East Conference in Warsaw, Poland. nascent ties between Arab nations and Israel to form a pow- The conference would discuss the challenges and humani- erful axis against Iran, a strategy that dovetails with the tarian issues facing the region. The Moroccan and Algerian administration’s planned rollout of an ambitious plan for armies would both take part at the US-led Flintlock 2019 mili- Israeli-Palestinian peace. tary games in Burkina Faso and Mauritania from February 18 Reports said the US cut military aid to Cameroon after years to March 1, 2019. The two North African rivals closed borders of troubling reports of serious human rights violations on the since 1994 with Algeria backing a separatist front that waged part of Cameroon’s security forces. The US military aid was a war against Morocco until 1991. all in service of fighting terrorism drug trafficking. Reports Tunisia was listed among countries where missions in suggested that this might have come because some coun- which there were American boots on the ground engaging tries like Cameroon, use their anti-terrorism laws to target dis- in direct action against militants, in 14 different countries in sidents, activists, journalists, and minorities. the last two years. US Chief of Mission and Charge d’Affaires in Egypt, Thomas In Tunisia, there was at least one outright battle between Goldberger, said the US was very committed to the stability joint US -Tunisian forces and al-Qaeda militants. Two US ser- of the region and to remain engaged in the region and sup- vice members were later awarded medals of valour for their porting the forces in the region. actions there, a clue that led journalists to discovered that The US Government expressed its concern over the military there had been a battle in the first place. tensions in the south of Libya. It called for all the protagonists

54 North Africa

Tourism, Travel & Leisure

on Sept. 22, 2011, for reasons that are unclear. However, he was then released on an order of supervision due to the “lack of likelihood of his removal in the reasonably foreseeable 70 future. This was mentioned considering President Trump’s migration concerns. 60 Media reports also discussed the effectiveness of the wall 50 President Trump wanted to build to curb illegal migration. It was found that the construction of a 150-mile long border 40 wall between Israel and Egypt cut the number of illegal bor- der crossings from 16,000 in 2011 to less than 20 in 2016. 30 Basically, Israel’s wall was 100 percent effective. America could reportedly build a highly-effective border wall for some 20 $25 billion. Meanwhile, illegal aliens costed Americans $165 billion worth of taxes and remittances every year. 10 The two-year-old Yemeni Boy whose mom sued US to see 0 him died. The boy’s parents moved to Egypt after marrying in Egypt Morocco Libya Tunisia war-torn Yemen in 2016. Swileh was not an American citizen and remained in Egypt while fighting for a visa. In December, several media reports said the 2-year-old son Donald Trump claimed 77 major border walls had been built of a Yemeni woman who sued the Trump administration to let around the world with 800 miles of barriers across Europe. He her into the country to be with the ailing boy died. Abdullah also referred to one barrier - dividing Morocco and the Hassan died in UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, Western Sahara – which was 1,700-miles of heaped sand. It where his father Ali Hassan brought him in the fall to get treat- was second only to the Great Wall of China in length. ment for a genetic brain disorder. Other reports focused on international sex trafficking case Media reports said The Jungle,” a new British play about a where woman arrested following vacation to Morocco. French refugee camp, was an obvious candidate to transfer to Officials alleged the Grade eight Mexia teache was conspir- New York: critically lauded, commercially successful, timely ing to sell her underage relative online to multiple men in and talked about. Morocco for sexual purposes. International Business Times reported that Nadeem Muaddi, The New York Times reported that Egyptian authorities a Palestinian-American who is a senior assignment editor at denied entry to one of its correspondents and sent him back CNN, claimed he was racially profiled at three different air- to London after holding him for hours. In latest move in the ports – two of them in the US – while he was flying back country’s crackdown on free speech and the media, the news- home, from a trip to Morocco. paper said that former Cairo bureau chief David Kirkpatrick In other reports, Nairobi was among six must-visit African cit- was arrested after arriving at Cairo International Airport. ies chosen by the 47-year-old American monthly consumer Reports said a New York City taxi driver and father of two travel magazine, Travel+Leisure. Describing the Kenyan capi- detained in Egypt for the past five-and-a-half years was dying tal as East Africa’s hub and home of emergent design collec- during his hunger strike according to his lawyer and family. tions from across Africa, the magazine with a 16 million global ABC News reported that Moustafa Kassem, who turned 54, audience said travellers seeking to explore the creative scene wrote letters pleading for help from President Trump and Vice should visit the country in 2019. President Pence for his release under Egyptian President In January, A report by the US Consular Affairs Office Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, to no avail. revealed that around 49,686 thousand Libyans had registered Media reports said Morocco was among the destinations for the US Diversity Visa Lottery program in 2018. The US that American travelers had been fancying in 2018. According Immigration or Diversity Visa Lottery Program was an annual to a list compiled by Squaremouth, an online company that lottery program set by the US government to give out a United compared travel insurance products from every major provid- States Permanent Resident Card, known as the “Green Card”. er in the United States, American tourists’ favorite destinations Media reports referred to a ruling by US immigration judge included Africa and South America. who ordered Sharif, Somalian man to be deported to Somalia

55 North Africa

Economy, Trade & Development

Hungary and Paraguay. 70 CNN reported that in what was bound to be pleasing to the ears of US President Donald Trump, Egyptian billionaire 60 Naguib Sawiris sided with the hardline stance that the leader of the world’s largest economy had taken amid the ongoing 50 US -China trade war. President Abdel Fatah El Sisi issued a decree ratifying the 11th amendment to the US-Egypt assistance agreement. The 40 11th amendment covered the governmental administration initiatives and participation program. 30 State Department spokesman Robert Palladino congratulat- ed Egypt on assuming the presidency of the African Union for 20 2019, saying that the US “looked forward to working together on the shared goal of a stable and prosperous Africa.” 10 Breitbart reported that American taxpayers were continuing to fund border security measures and border walls in 0 Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Lebanon with President Egypt Libya Morocco Tunisia Trump’s signing of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending bill. While the United States-Mexico border received only $1.3 billion for construction of a border wall at In December, In Egypt, Significant reports said a court the overwhelmed southern border with soaring illegal immi- acquitted 43 NGO staff accused of receiving illicit foreign gration, foreign countries were getting help from American funds to stir up unrest during Egypt’s 2011 uprising. The ver- taxpayers to secure their borders. dict followed prolonged legal proceedings in the case. In US investment firm The Guidry Group outlined strategic April, Egypt’s top appeals court ordered a retrial following reasons for American investment in Africa. The Texas-based Appeals filed by sixteen defendants. international firm was leading the way for US investment on Other reports discussed trade disputes particularly in U. S the continent through building and developing the $1.5 bil- soybean market. The development of new markets for US lion ‘Port of Susah’ – North Africa’s most highly-automated soybeans in countries like Egypt and Iran reportedly made it and largest deep-sea port near the city of Susah in Libya. seem like there were hidden markets still to be found and it S & P Global reported that US State Department said it was was rather a perverse offshoot of the trade war. concerned by ongoing tensions in southern Libya that had Other reports said while Libya’s biggest oil field was being prolonged the closure of the 340,000 b/d Sharara oil field held hostage by protesters, crude output from the US was so and other critical crude export infrastructure. high and practically drowned out what would otherwise be a In other news, the Libyan Foreign Minister of the notable disruption in the oil market Presidential Council, Mohammed Sayala, discussed in US trade officials announced that US beef products and Washington with the US Assistant Secretary of State for the exports were now being accepted into the Moroccan market. Bureau of Energy Resources, Francis R. Fannon cooperation This marked the first-time beef exporters had access to the in oil and gas sector, and renewable energy sectors. North African region. The African Post reported that President Donald Trump In February, Egypt’s General Authority for Supply signed into law the 2019 appropriation legislation that stipu- Commodities set a tender to buy an unspecified amount of lated explicitly that the assistance funds allocated to Morocco wheat from global suppliers for shipment from March 21-31. would also benefit the Sahara. Morocco welcomed the text, GASC Vice Chairman Ahmed Youssef said the authority was which recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara seeking to buy cargoes of soft and/or milling wheat from the southern provinces, as it was unequivocally pro-Morocco and United States, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Poland, unusually forthcoming on US development funds for the Argentina, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Sahara.

56 North Africa

Business & Investments

Khaleej Times reported that Uber was launching a new 40 minibus service in Cairo, the ride-sharing US giant’s fast- est-growing market. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was to 35 hold a news conference to elaborate on the plans. Microbuses are notorious in Cairo. Often over-packed, the 30 vehicles were the only affordable method of travel for millions of people in Egypt. 25 Reports said even before taking over Qatar’s energy policy

20 in a government reshuffle last month, Qatar Petroleum (QP) CEO Saad al-Kaabi had long wanted the Gulf state to leave 15 OPEC. Kaabi was concerned OPEC membership could be a stumbling block for QP’s ambitions in the United States, 10 where it had one of the world’s biggest LNG terminals, and a distraction as Doha doubled down on gas production. 5 Proposed US legislation known as NOPEC (No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act) could expose members of the oil 0 exporters club to antitrust lawsuits, a risk for QP at a time it Egypt Libya Morocco Tunisia was planning to invest billions more in the United States. The decision to leave after 57 years just two days ahead of a cru- cial OPEC output policy meeting in Vienna also struck many The Daily News Egypt reported that the Strategic Marketing as a shot at Saudi Arabia, which along with the Bahrain, and Exhibitions company concluded the fourth edition of the Egypt and the United Arab Emirates had imposed a boycott Cairo Wood Show platform under the patronage of the minis- on Qatar since June 2017. try of trade and industry from the 30 November of to 3 In January, US investment firm, The Guidry Group, December with the participation of 175 companies from 24 announced that Libya’s authorities in the East and West had countries, headed by China, Turkey, the US, Spain, Italy, and agreed to jointly support what would become one of North Germany. The WoodShow achieved EGP 1bn in sales and Africa’s most highly-automated and largest deep-sea ports deals during the exhibit’s period, according to Walid Farghal near the city of Susah in Libya. director general of Strategic Marketing and Exhibitions com- The Group said that the now united representatives of the pany. Libyan people have made it their highest priority to deliver Reports that said with a record harvest of US soybeans this economic opportunity for their people by redeveloping, year, but exports to China down drastically from a year ago, restoring and modernizing Libya’s critical infrastructure, start- farmers were forced to sell in a market in crisis. According to ing with ports and maritime capabilities through the develop- the USDA, soybean exports to China were down more than 2 ment of the Port of Susah. million tons from the same time last year. Reports noted that Media reports noted America’s admittance that their pres- the development of new markets for US soybeans in coun- ence in Libya was solely about oil. Trump was quoted saying tries like Egypt and Iran might made it seem like there were he was interested in Libya if they could take the oil. He said hidden markets still to be found, but Usset said it’s rather a in 2012 a month after the disastrous US-led NATO interven- perverse offshoot of the trade war. While China transitioned tion which left Libya a failed state. He was quoted saying to buying more soybeans from Argentina and Brazil, it’s there was no interest in Libya if it had no oil. Trump had also cheapened the price of US soybeans. This led to some coun- advocated a “take the oil” policy for Iraq in the past. tries swooping in to take advantage.

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Arts & Culture

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In December, Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) hosted the US reached with Libya, saying it did not exclude Jewish “Egypt’s Sunken Cities,” an important exhibition showcasing artifacts. The State Department later told JTA that certain more than 250 antiquities from one of history’s most significa Jewish artifacts were exempt from the deal. Presented by US Bank, “Egypt’s Sunken Cities” features In February, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) gave a colossal, 16-foot-tall sculptures and precious artifacts from warm endorsement of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Si- these long-lost cities. On view at the exhibition were three si’s decision earlier to clean and protect the historic Jewish monumental sculptures discovered by Goddio’s team — Bassatine Cemetery in Cairo and to make available the coun- each weighing more than 8,000 lbsnt underwater archaeo- try’s Jewish Communal Registers. logical finds. The presentation would be on view through A statement from AJC noted that the global advocacy orga- April 14, 2019. nization had long called for these and other measures to pre- In Egypt, reports focused former colonial states who had serve the heritage of the Egyptian Jewish community, which taken artefacts from their colonies in Africa. A report noted a once numbered more than 80,000 was estimated to be fewer court case were an American museum sued the US govern- than 20. ment when it was asked to return the mask to Egypt. Rabbi Andrew Baker, AJC Director of International Jewish Eighteen Jewish groups urged US Secretary of State Mike Affairs, who has visited Cairo regularly to meet with govern- Pompeo to exclude Jewish artifacts when making import ment officials said Egypt’s commitment to preserve Jewish restriction agreements with countries in the Middle East and sites and records was vitally important. North Africa. In 2017, JIMENA protested an agreement that

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Entertainment

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In December, Media reports discussed the third GMM Noor Tagouri, a journalist and public speaker, took to Summit which was a hub for Egyptian filmmakers to connect Instagram and Twitter to share her feelings about the mis- with US experts. The summit aimed to facilitate the process of take, highlighting that misidentifying Muslim women was a turning filmmakers’ projects into real films, and to exchange common occurrence. In a one-page spread, Tagouri was fea- cultural knowledge of filmmaking between the US and Egypt, tured with a caption mistakenly naming her as Pakistani the 3rd Global Media Makers (GMM)Summit. Egyptian film actress Noor Bukhari. In a video shared on her social media makers were hoping to change American’s perceptions pages, which had thousands of followers, Tagouri showed about Arabs. her initial excitement to see herself in the magazine, only to Media reports also highlighted an American Jazz artist, be let down upon reading the caption. Randy Weston who died this year. He reportedly ran his own In February, Media reports said Arab fans of Rami Malek, club at an international crossroads in Morocco for five years. who scooped the Best Actor award at the 91st Academy For Weston, North African, West African and New York Awards, lauded the American-Egyptian actor, describing him rhythms were all the same language spoken with different as the pride of Egypt and the Arab world. Although Malek accents. didn’t grow up in Egypt, his Arab fans were still keen to sup- Media reports also said Danish-American actor Viggo port him on Twitter, as he became the first actor of Arab Mortensen, who presented his latest film at Morocco’s descent to win the Best Actor trophy, deemed one of the Marrakesh film festival, was ready to make his directorial highest acting awards in the film industry. The Egyptian debut. He sat down with AFP on the side-lines of the festival embassy in Washington congratulated Rami Malek in a tweet to speak about “Green Book”, which won the Toronto saying Rami Malek made Egyptians happy and proud as the International Film Festival audience prize, in which he led first Egyptian-American to win an Academy Award. and his plans to go behind the camera for the upcoming Wealthy Gorilla posted an article detailing a Moroccan- father-son drama “Falling”. American rapper, songwriter and singer who was born and In December, a Libyan-American journalist called out US raised in Morocco Karim Kharbouch better known as French magazine Vogue for misidentifying her in its February issue. Montana.

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