Edson Baraukwa | Africa Guardian The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a vital component of US-Africa trade relations, faces an uncertain future as partisan disagreements in US Congress have derailed efforts to renew the scheme this year. Diplomats and industry advocates had hoped to secure a renewal of AGOA as part of Washington’s year-end budget deal to avoid…
Africa Surpasses Asia and Europe as Preferred Trade Market By Elizabeth Antidius Shumbusho | Africa Guardian Africa’s intra-continental trade is gaining momentum, driven by easier cross-border transactions, improved quality of locally made goods, and more competitive pricing compared to markets in Asia, the US, and Europe. According to the latest Africa Trade Barometer, African businesses are increasingly opting to…
Opinion on Why Trump Must Recognize Africa’s Growing Influence and Resources By Edson Baraukwa | Africa Guardian As Donald J. Trump contemplates a return to the White House, many African nations are cautiously hopeful about what his next administration might bring. Historically, U.S. presidents have often placed limited emphasis on U.S.-Africa relations, focusing their efforts on regions deemed more…
By Edson Baraukwa | Africa Guardian As Donald Trump secured a second term as U.S. president, leaders across Africa quickly sent their congratulations. Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa tweeted that the country was “ready to work” with Trump, while Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu expressed hopes for “reciprocal economic and development partnerships” between Africa and the U.S. But what does Trump’s return…
By Edson Baraukwa | Africa Guardian American singer and rapper 6lack is making his way back to South Africa after a six-year hiatus, announcing his return in a playful social media video where he spins a globe and lands on South Africa. 6lack has been added to the lineup for the Rocking The Daisies festival in Cape Town, marking…
By Charles Muchoki | Africa Guardian The United States has proposed adding two permanent seats for African countries on the UN Security Council, marking a significant step in its efforts to strengthen ties with Africa and Pacific Island nations, which are increasingly important in global geopolitics. US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, is expected to officially announce…
• The two global powers are aggressively entering the emerging African nuclear energy market with custom solutions • They’re offering knowledge transfer skills and educational partnerships to countries with nuclear power ambitions The United States and Russia are looking to increase their influence in the nascent African nuclear energy market as more African countries seek to pursue power generation from…
A high-level roundtable discussion at the 2023 edition of African Energy Week (AEW) highlighted how the U.S. and African countries can continue to partner across technology, policy and investment. The session began by delving into the U.S.’ relationship with Equatorial Guinea – in which it is the largest single foreign investor – and emphasized the need to identify bankable…
Perspective by Joe Davidson With the drive toward electric vehicles in high gear, the Biden administration signed an agreement with two African countries rich in minerals needed to meet the exploding demand. But China is the unmentioned actor in this international affair. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia was…
By Guardian Nigeria • Doles out $247m to support humanitarian needs• Seeks private sector partnership to fight corruption The United States yesterday announced $225 million in investments to support emerging democracies in the face of a rise in autocracies around the world. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Samantha Power, administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID),…
Kamala Harris invited some of rap’s top artists, from Lil Wayne to Slick Rick, to perform on Saturday at her home in Washington, D.C., for what she called “the first-ever hip-hop house party at the Office of the Vice President of the United States.” Harris celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop from a stage built on her lawn with…
American rapper Fabulous who is currently in the country has sparked the ire of Kenyans on the internet after what many under his comment section perceive to be an insult to Kenya and Africa. After an unclear photo of him was posted performing, he responded to a comment asking about the state of the photo by saying that “it…
“With this funding, the United States has provided more than $4 billion in humanitarian assistance this fiscal year to respond to the needs of refugees,” Blinken said in a statement WASHINGTON – The United States will provide an additional $380 million in humanitarian assistance for Africa, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday. “With this funding, the United…
South Africa is now increasingly coming under growing pressure from the United States, which is its second largest trading partner after China, for seemingly supporting Russia in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, although it says it is neutral. Washington and Pretoria recently faced-off in a diplomatic tiff after the US accused SA of supplying arms to Russia. Even if Pretoria…
The United States has reopened its embassy in the Seychelles after a 27-year absence during which China and other U.S. rivals made significant inroads in the Indian Ocean islands. The U.S. State Department announced the move late Thursday, after having unveiled plans to open a diplomatic mission in northern Norway, which will be its only only such facility above…
Story by Ben Turner The Benin Bronzes — some roughly 3,000 stunning bronze artworks sculpted by African metalsmiths between the 16th and 19th centuries — were crafted from metal mined from Germany’s Rhineland region, a new study finds. Researchers had long suspected that the masterfully crafted sculptures — created by the Edo people of the Kingdom of Benin, now…
Former US President Donald Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, felony charges that could land him in prison for up to four years on each count. That’s according to a newly unsealed indictment issued by a New York grand jury last week. The indictment marks the first time in U.S. history a current…
On Thursday, United States Vice President Kamala Harris during her visit to Tanzania as part of her week-long visit to Africa announced plans to boost trading activities between the two countries. Harris began her journey in Ghana on Sunday before travelling late on Wednesday to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s business hub, where she met President Samia Suluhu Hassan. During…
POLITICAL analysts view the visit by US Vice-President Kamala Harris to Tanzania as a further step in recognising President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s 4Rs philosophy in promoting democracy and good governance. They said President Samia walks the talk in unifying the country as well as promoting multilateral cooperation through her philosophy. The 4Rs stands for Reconciliation, Resilience, Reforms and Rebuilding…
Tourism AS the ‘Air Force Two’ kisses the Julius Nyerere International Airport’s (JNIA) runway today, tourism stakeholders will definitely be rubbing their hands. Perhaps, this signals the prospects of the visit of the second in command in the Oval Office. A section of players in the 2billion US dollars (about 5tri/-) a year industry have expressed their optimism as…
The unusually heavy presence of US security staff encircling US Vice-President Kamala Harris during her arrival at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, on Sunday was a vivid sign of Washington’s psychological distance from Africa. Harris said that she was “very excited” about the future of Africa upon her arrival in Accra. But she should have done her homework…
The United States of America intends to increase investments on the African continent to propel economic growth. This was announced by Vice-President Kamala Harris on her arrival in Ghana as part of a nine-day working visit to the continent. She was in the company of her husband Douglas Emhoff and other top officials in the US government. Madam Harris…
United States top diplomat to United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield is set to visit Kenya on Wednesday Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield is expected to receive briefings from the UN country team on humanitarian programs, including the regional drought response and assistance to refugees. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield will also meet with refugees pending resettlement in the United States and highlight the Joe Biden’s…
American rapper Meek Mill has apologised after sparking an uproar in Ghana over a music video filmed in the country’s presidential palace – also called Jubilee House. Local media had reported that people were enraged over what they viewed as the “desecration” of the presidency by Meek Mill and the security issues regarding the filming of a music video…
*By John Ulanga* *Executive Director,* *The Foundation for Civil Society, Tanzania* *A paper presented at the Annual Meeting of MS Tanzania,* February 19, 2008, MS TCDC Arusha, Tanzania 1 INTRODUCTION Over the last couple of years there has been a lot of discussions on the importance of the role of civil society organizations in the development processes. Attempts have…