English – Page 678 – MIL Africa Engine

November 6, 2025

Nigeria, World Health Organization (WHO) and Partners Reaffirm Commitment to End All Forms of Polio by 2030

Source: APO – Report:

Abuja, Nigeria, in collaboration with WHO and other partners, is intensifying efforts to eradicate all forms of polio by 2030 through government leadership, community engagement, and targeted vaccination campaigns.

Renewed Commitment on World Polio Day
Every year on 24 October, the global community reaffirms its commitment to eradicating poliomyelitis—a disease that can cause paralysis and, in some cases, death.

Although Nigeria successfully eradicated wild poliovirus in 2020, the experiences of survivors like Hassana Mohammed Bunur from Borno State serve as a reminder of the remaining challenge: eliminating circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVPV2), which still exists in parts of the country.

For Hassana Mohammed Bunur and Bukar Modu—both polio survivors—the fight to end polio is deeply personal. Hassana, who contracted the disease as a toddler, now uses a wheelchair and champions vaccination in her community. Bukar, 45, reflects,

“Had I been vaccinated; my life would be very different. But I can use my voice to protect others.”
Their experiences highlight the importance of immunisation and the power of advocacy in building a polio-free future.

Government Leadership Sustaining Progress
The Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMOH) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), continues to demonstrate strong leadership in sustaining polio eradication gains.

Nigeria remains committed to halting all poliovirus transmission by 2030, investing in surveillance, routine immunisation, and supplementary immunisation activities (SIAs). Polio vaccination has been integrated with broader health initiatives through campaigns and community outreach to reach all eligible children.

The 2025 Measles–Rubella and Polio Vaccination Campaign aims to immunise over 106 million children, making it one of Africa’s largest immunisation efforts.

Eradicating All Forms of the Virus
While Nigeria remains free of wild poliovirus, cVPV2 cases persist. According to national surveillance data: As of 20 October 2024, 112 cases were recorded across 15 states.
In the same period in 2025, 66 cVPV2 cases were reported from 44 LGAs in 12 states—a 41% reduction, indicating progress in interrupting transmission.

Collective Commitment and Partner Support
WHO, in collaboration with national and international partners under the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), supports Nigeria’s eradication efforts through:
•    Technical assistance for planning and executing immunisation campaigns
•    Logistical coordination to deliver vaccines to hard-to-reach areas
•    Capacity-building for health workers in surveillance and outbreak response
•    Data review mechanisms to identify gaps and guide corrective actions, including redeploying vaccination teams to missed settlements, strengthening social mobilisation, adjusting supply chains, and conducting targeted mop-ups to ensure no child is left behind

These efforts are complemented by partners including Rotary International, the Gates Foundation, Chigari Foundation, UNICEF, and others, who contribute to microplanning, social mobilisation, surveillance, and evidence-based decision-making.

Community Engagement Across States
Across Nigeria, WHO state offices joined government agencies, partners, and communities in commemorating World Polio Day, renewing advocacy for vaccination and stronger surveillance.
In Taraba State, the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Buma Bordiya, emphasized the state’s commitment during a press briefing in Jalingo:

“On World Polio Day 2025, we renew our collective commitment to reach every child, with every vaccine, everywhere—until polio is gone for good.”
•    In Taraba State, over 2.3 million children received at least one dose of the polio vaccine during April and June SIAs.
•    In Gombe, a 3 km awareness walk was held in collaboration with NYSC, Rotary, and others.
•    In Ebonyi, the Commissioner of Health expressed gratitude to the Government of Nigeria, WHO, and partners for supporting child vaccination.
•    In Kano, over 500 participants—including health officials, traditional leaders, and polio survivors—attended a commemorative event. The Chairman of the Polio Survivors Association urged continued advocacy and inclusion of survivors in outreach efforts.

Other states including Kwara, Kebbi, Kaduna, and Zamfara held similar events to reaffirm their commitment to reaching every child.

A Future Without Polio
For Hassana and other polio survivors, the fight against polio is deeply personal.
“If I had been vaccinated, my life would be very different,” reflects Bukar Modu, a 45-year-old polio survivor. “But I can use my voice to make sure no other child suffers as I did. Polio is still a threat, but vaccines save lives.”

Reaffirming WHO’s continued support, Dr. Kofi Boateng, Polio Eradication Programme Cluster Lead, emphasized:

“The only reason the poliovirus continues to circulate is because some children remain unvaccinated. The vaccine is safe and effective, and every child must be protected.”

Staying the Course and Taking Action
Nigeria’s strong government leadership, community resilience, and sustained partner collaboration are ensuring the country remains firmly on course toward a polio-free future by 2030—one where every child, everywhere, is protected.

To achieve this goal, continued community participation, timely vaccination, and coordinated efforts from all stakeholders are essential. Every caregiver, health worker, and partner has a role to play in ending polio for good.

– on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Nigeria.

November 6, 2025

African poetry is celebrated in a groundbreaking publishing project

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Assistant Professor, Harvard University

For 10 years, Ghanaian poet Kwame Dawes and his friend the Nigerian writer Chris Abani have sifted through piles of manuscripts looking for Africa’s new poetic talent. Since 2014, the African Poetry Book Fund has been assembling a formidable archive of writing through the New Generation African Poets Chapbook Series.

A chapbook – a small publication usually under 40 pages – is an accessible and honoured format for poets to publish focused selections of their work. In this series, each chapbook features an emerging African poet, and is presented as part of a beautifully designed box set of 10 or more chapbooks. Besides the poetry itself, each box set also showcases the work of a commissioned African visual artist. The artists include Sokari Douglas Camp, Victor Ehikhamenor, Ficre Ghebreyesus and Aida Muluneh, among others.

This ever-growing archive has now published over 100 poets, and offers a window into the diversity of African poetic expression today.

Akashic Books

Marking the project’s 10th anniversary is a new anthology called Toward a Living Archive of African Poetry, edited by Jordanian writer Siwar Masannat. It collects Dawes and Abani’s rich introductions to each box set and has a foreword by Masannat. In it, readers learn about the impact of the series, offering a layered and necessary account of how these chapbooks have transformed the visibility of African poets over the past decade.

My work as a scholar of African literature focuses on recovering overlooked histories and interrogating the spaces in which literature is made and circulated.

This new anthology matters because it documents not just poems, but a cultural movement that redefines what an African literary archive can be, and why poetry remains central to that conversation.

Decidedly diasporic

While the series places Africa at the centre of its imagination, its focus is largely diasporic, shaped by Africans living outside the continent. The majority of the poets live in the US or the UK. Poets based on the continent form a minority and are scattered geographically.

The editors acknowledge this imbalance, attributing it to “better access to workshops and craft education” available to diaspora poets. The result is an archive arguably shaped less by the immediacies of the continent and more by the diaspora’s sensibilities and infrastructures.

Nigeria, more than any of the 25-odd countries included in the chapbooks, shapes the aesthetics of the series. This reflects both the density of the country’s literary networks and the curatorial choices of the editors. They rely heavily on personal connections and prize pools to spot new and emerging talents.

A recurring feature of the poets in the series is the “hyphenated African”: Somali-American, Ghanaian-British, Ethiopian-German, Sierra Leonean-American. Some were born in countries outside Africa or migrated as toddlers. Their Africanness is claimed through memory, nostalgia, heritage, or family history, rather than geography.

The editors assert that all the poets “self-identify as Africans in the full and complicated way that Africanness is best defined”. This also underscores how the project expands the category of African poetry. In fact, the transcontinental profile of these writers shows how African poetry today cannot be read solely through a nationalist lens. The hybridity of identity and place becomes central. Many poets occupy in-between spaces – culturally, geographically, linguistically and emotionally.

Still, the series impresses on many other levels. Particularly in its commitment to highlighting the continent’s plural and localised poetics, and in its rare, long-term investment in the future of African poetry.

Gender

The series has been notably attentive to gender parity. Women poets like Warsan Shire, Safia Elhillo, Victoria Adukwei Bulley, Momtaza Mehri, Tsitsi Jaji and Vuyelwa Maluleke, among others, form a significant portion of the archive.

This signals an important feminist turn in African poetics. The chapbook form becomes a space where African women’s voices are nurtured and given international circulation, countering historical silences. The poets here highlight a generational continuity of feminist expression.

Intergenerational

The birth years of poets in the series range from 1963 to 2007, showcasing a vibrant intergenerational dialogue. The older poets often engage in socio-political critique informed by post-independence transitions. Millennial and Gen Z poets frequently explore themes of identity, queerness, internet culture, displacement and decoloniality with linguistic experimentation and digital fluency.

Ghanaian poet Tryphena Yeboah, in her chapbook, A Mouthful of Home, exemplifies this:

I TELL MY MOTHER I WANT A BODY THAT

EXPANDS

Into a map. She wants to know where I’ll travel to. I say

“myself”.

The act of travel becomes a metaphor for self-mapping that captures how younger African poets reimagine movement, belonging and home as internal, affective geographies.

In contrast, South African poet Ashley Makue, in her chapbook, i know how to fix myself, offers a more visceral expression of embodied trauma and inherited violence:

my mother is a war zone

they don’t tell her that

these men that pee in her

and leave with gunpowder in their chests

Living archive

The New Generation African Poets Chapbook Series has been an extraordinary intervention in the history of African poetry. It has foregrounded a generation, opened an aesthetic safe space, and created a beautiful, living archive.

Dawes and Abani introduce each of the box sets with two introductions – what they call “simultaneous conversations” – and they often debate identity, the style of the poetry, circulation, and other issues.

This is more than an impressive catalogue; it is a breathing archive of African poetic consciousness, one that resists static definitions. It captures the fluidity of identity, the urgency of voice, and the diverse shaping of African poetry today.

What it tells us: that African poetry is thriving, diverse and globally mobile. What it does not tell us: how poets working entirely from the continent might imagine and enact African poetics differently.

But by foregrounding new and emerging voices, the Africa Poetry Book Fund affirms that poets remain vital chroniclers of the African experience, articulating emotion, history and imagination in ways that other forms of writing often cannot.

They don’t just do this through publications, but running prizes, supporting African poetry libraries and maintaining a digital archive.

– African poetry is celebrated in a groundbreaking publishing project
– https://theconversation.com/african-poetry-is-celebrated-in-a-groundbreaking-publishing-project-267772

November 6, 2025

Access to water has a long racial history in Durban: I followed the story in the city’s archives

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Kristin Brig, Lecturer in Public Health & Society, Washington University in St. Louis

The water infrastructure politics of eThekwini, the municipality that includes the city of Durban, have been splashed across the digital pages of South Africa’s news outlets in recent years.

They’ve covered the 2022 floods that damaged kilometres of pipes, water tanker purchases as a response to increasing water scarcity, and the disconnection of residential water storage tanks from municipal pipes to cope with leaky infrastructure. Like other South African municipalities, eThekwini has fallen behind on maintaining its piped water infrastructure and has looked to stopgap solutions.

The city’s water politics has a long history. Some of the infrastructure issues can be traced back to the mid-1800s, when it was a British imperial port.

I’m a historian with an interest in coastal communities and urban life. As part of my work on water as a public health concern in colonial cities, I spent months in the Durban Archives Repository, going through correspondence, reports, business contracts, newspaper clippings and town council minutes.

The records revealed how the system of colonial-era water infrastructure worked – and for whom.

Household tank, Umbumbulu, eThekwini municipality. Wandile Mthiyane, Author provided (no reuse)

The first water technologies in Durban were British-styled wells. Anyone could use them, for free. They brought people of different origins and class together for practical purposes but also created anxiety about social difference. For colonial officials, the public had to follow British standards or lose access to the infrastructure altogether. They created Durban’s first water-policing system, purportedly for better public health and conservation. While wealthier and white people eventually came to rely on piped water, poorer and black (Zulu and Indian) people were excluded.

This system formed the basis for the uneven access to water that today’s residents experience. People still depend on private water infrastructure as the municipal system struggles.

Nineteenth-century infrastructure

Founded by British traders as Port Natal in 1824, the colonial borough of Durban depended on stand-alone water infrastructures from the beginning. Brick and cement wells were the first technologies from which residents drew water, since they were easy to build and maintain. Most wells had either a bucket or a pump attached to them. Pumps attached to wells became common after the borough made most wells publicly available in the mid-1850s.

Water tanks, on the other hand, were private technologies which mainly lay underground. Only wealthier households and businesses could afford to build them. They became prominent in the 1870s.

A receipt for pumps bought from English company John Warner & Sons, 1877. Durban Archives Repository, Author provided (no reuse)

It’s hard to know exactly how many of these infrastructures existed in total. By the 1870s, though, official reports indicate that about 18 public wells and pumps across the town served the bulk of the town’s approximately 20,000 inhabitants.

Piped water came to Durban in the 1880s, supplied initially by the spring at Curries Fountain. In 1889, the city’s laws were extended to cover private tanks that were filled from the municipal pipes. Even so, much of the population still relied on standalone infrastructures for water supplies.

As time went by, conflicts began to brew. The rising population placed a strain on these stand-alone infrastructures, which offered varying amounts of water depending on rainfall patterns. Arguments sparked when a community drew too much water or polluted a well, creating a local water scarcity.

Clashes and restrictions

White colonists blamed much of the water scarcity and contamination on African labourers who worked as household or business servants, sanitary workers and launderers. These positions demanded a close relationship with fresh water collection and use, which meant African labourers became the main users of wells, pumps and tanks.

Labourers did not always use water technologies according to colonial expectations, however. Local people were accustomed to using open water sources like rivers and streams, not restrictive iron and brick infrastructures. So, they modified their traditional work at open sources, like washing objects and produce, to the new technologies they had to use.

That sometimes created problems, according to the archive records. They accidentally broke handles and chains when pumping too quickly. They drew water from tanks without using a filter, which was officially perceived as a disease risk. They publicly washed clothing, bodies and food at wells, where the dirty wash water flowed back into the enclosed water supply.

Colonists exploited this situation to place restrictions on how labourers could use stand-alone water infrastructures. Borough officials crafted new laws that forced colonised residents to conform with British standards. They punished those who did not comply with fines, verbal lashings and even jail time.

Durban was part of a colonial system predicated on white supremacy. The government sought to maintain segregation between white colonists and African and South Asian residents. So, it imbued its water technology regulations with the notion that some water management actions – British – were “healthier” than others, namely African and South Asian. If someone used a technology contrary to British standards, then they faced restricted access to public technologies and the water they provided.

Water system legacy

Stand-alone water infrastructures still exist across eThekwini. Many residents of informal settlements and formerly racially segregated areas remain officially unconnected with municipal pipes. They instead depend on local wells, pumps and illegal individualised connections. An increasing number of households are investing in water tanks as the municipal water system becomes more unreliable.

Things have, of course, changed since the 19th century. However, the municipality continues to require residents to use these technologies within regulatory boundaries if residents want to maintain access to them. Cutting off municipal water supply to private storage tanks is an example.

Infrastructural stopgaps further expose a water system that was never meant to supply every resident equitably and without restriction. These actions tell us that today’s officials have inherited and inadvertently continue a water system that was meant to exclude more than include, to punish more than teach, to restrict more than provide.

– Access to water has a long racial history in Durban: I followed the story in the city’s archives
– https://theconversation.com/access-to-water-has-a-long-racial-history-in-durban-i-followed-the-story-in-the-citys-archives-267302

November 6, 2025

The comedy economy: Nigeria’s online video skits are making millions

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Nnamdi O. Madichie, Professor of Marketing & Entrepreneurship, Unizik Business School, Nnamdi Azikiwe University

Short comedy videos circulating on social media have created a booming industry in Nigeria in the past few years. The country’s comedy creators put their skits out on platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram to reach a massive audience.

As these online comedians gain followers they make their money from advertising, by endorsing brands as influencers, and through collaborations. In Nigeria the industry is popularly called the skit economy.

Narrative Landscape Press

This phenomenon represents more than a major new entertainment trend. It highlights the ingenuity of young Nigerians in using technology to create livelihoods and influence culture. In the process, they contribute to national economic growth.

The skit industry has joined the likes of Nollywood film, Afrobeats music and local fashion to put the country on the entertainment map globally.

The rise of the industry is chronicled in the 2024 book Skit Economy: How Nigeria’s Comedy Skit-Makers Are Redefining Africa’s Digital Content Landscape, by entrepreneurship scholar and polling guru Bell Ihua. His work is supported by findings from the Africa Polling Institute.

As he explains:

The Nigerian entertainment industry is undoubtedly creating job opportunities and contributing to the country’s diversification from oil … The industry is rated as the second most significant employer of youths in Nigeria after agriculture, employing over one million people.

According to his book, skit-making is estimated to be Nigeria’s third largest entertainment industry sector, with a net worth of over US$31 million.

As a marketing scholar focusing on the cultural and creative industries and digital entrepreneurship who has had the privilege of interviewing Ihua, I’d like to share my thoughts about his book.

What becomes clear as you read it is that social media platforms have not only amplified the reach and impact of skits. Online platforms have allowed creators to reach global audiences while preserving the culture, language and stories unique to their communities. Skit creators prove the potential of comedy as a medium for both entertainment and cultural diplomacy.

However, as the industry grows, argues Ihua, the skit economy must navigate new challenges related to representation and ethics.

What’s in the book

The book’s eight chapters cover Africa’s digital content landscape, taking into account the continent’s youth bulge and the evolution of social media and content creation.

Ihua then explores Nigeria’s booming cultural and creative industries before homing in on comedy skit-making in chapter 4. It attempts to classify various types of digital content creation in Nigeria and outline the trends in online videos before embarking on an in-depth national study on comedy skit-making in chapter 7. He then considers implications for public policy and future research in the field.

What makes the book so compelling is that it recognises skit-making as an ecosystem on its own terms. It then defines what that ecosystem looks like in Nigeria. In the process Ihua makes it clear why books like this matter.

They are a call for taking entertainment seriously and investing future research in it. Social media and digital technology have reconfigured an unsung economic sector that’s capable of including the bulging youth population in the national conversation. This is despite limited institutional support.

What’s driving the boom

Ihua traces its boom to COVID-19 lockdowns that began in Nigeria in 2020:

They provided a source of laughter and relief to many Nigerians, as most people found it safer to stay at home and get entertained with skits.

Today, writes Ihua, two-thirds of Nigerians watch comedy skits frequently. According to his study they serve as stress relief and social commentary.

With 63% of Nigerians under 25 and high social media uptake, skit-making taps into abundant creative energy and mobile-first audiences.

Value

The Skit-Economy highlights how skit comedians create direct and indirect jobs (editors, social media managers, brand consultants). They generate income through endorsements, platform monetisation (the revenue they get from advertising on a space like YouTube), and various partnerships and collaborations.

Their cultural value is not just measured in their global influence. Skits reflect everyday Nigerian realities with humour and satire, influencing local public opinion and reinforcing national identity.

As prominent Nigerian entrepreneur and cultural worker Obi Asika notes in the book’s foreword:

Their success … stems from a combination of talent, creativity, innovation, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a deep understanding of their audience’s preferences and cultural nuances.

Challenges

However, Ihua identifies a number of challenges facing the industry.

Financial rewards are unequal. Only top creators earn sustainably. For many skit-makers revenue is unstable.

Working from Nigeria means dealing with infrastructure deficits. Electricity supply is unreliable, the internet is expensive and there is limited access to digital production tools.

Nigerian skit-makers also operate in a climate where there are weak intellectual property protections. Piracy and unauthorised reuse undermine earnings.

The job can be an ethical minefield. Pranks can be harmful. They can perpetuate stereotypes and be insensitive to minorities.

These challenges are enhanced by a policy vacuum. There is little government recognition or support for digital creatives in Nigeria.

An African future?

For Ihua, skit-making is a good example of how new digital industries can aid in absorbing Africa’s growing youth workforce. With adequate support, skit-making can help provide dignified livelihoods.

So, for Ihua these creators are not merely entertainers. They’re also job creators, cultural ambassadors, and catalysts of digital transformation.

For Africa broadly, the rise of skit-making underscores the continent’s potential to innovate in ways that are uniquely aligned with its youthful demographics and digital future.

Nigeria’s skit economy offers a blueprint for the continent. Already, skit-making is spreading to other countries, like Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. The lines are blurring between stand-up or TV comedians and skit makers.

If nurtured with the right infrastructure, policy, and industry support, the skit economy could evolve from an informal hustle into a structured pillar of Africa’s creative economy. This could further solidify the continent’s role in the global cultural imagination.

– The comedy economy: Nigeria’s online video skits are making millions
– https://theconversation.com/the-comedy-economy-nigerias-online-video-skits-are-making-millions-267784

November 6, 2025

TRT World Forum Shaped the Global Agenda

Source: APO

The TRT World Forum 2025 (https://TRTWorldForum.com/), the 9th edition of which has been held this year from October 31 to November 1 with the theme “The Global Reset: From the Old Order to New Realities,” has concluded. Over the course of two days, the forum addressed global issues, featuring nearly 150 speakers from more than 30 countries and over 1,500 participants from around the world.

Attracting significant attention from the international media also this year with topics closely related to the global agenda, the TRT World Forum 2025 has been held in Istanbul under the main title “The Global Reset: From the Old Order to New Realities.” Policymakers, journalists, academics, leading experts, and representatives from the public and private sectors from around the world came together at the international platform of TRT World Forum.

The event featured open and closed sessions where regional and global issues were discussed in depth, solutions were proposed, and mutual understanding was strengthened. The forum, which featured nearly 150 speakers from over 30 countries and more than 1,500 participants from different regions, addressed critical issues of global concern, such as strategic autonomy, diplomacy, economics, international law, artificial intelligence, and journalism on the frontlines.

The topics of “Contested Futures: Conflict and Reconciliation in East Africa”, “Trump’s America: Unpacking the Transformation”, “Cultural Diplomacy and Shared Identity in Central Asia: Pathways to Regional Engagement and Connectivity”, “European Security Architecture: Between Institutional Overlap and Strategic Necessity”, “From the Margins to the Mainstream: The Global Rise of the Far Right”, “The Gulf Amid a Fragmenting Global Order: Vision, Rivalry and Fault Lines”, “From Victimhood to Resilience: The Path to Justice in Gaza” and “The Ukraine Conflict: Diplomacy Amid the Fog of War” were discussed during the expert roundtables.

On the first day of the TRT World Forum, which is one of the largest and most high-profile forums in the global media sector, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Head of Communications Burhanettin Duran, and TRT Director General Mehmet Zahid Sobacı delivered inaugural speeches. Six journalists, who participated in the program featuring a video in memory of journalists who lost their lives in Gaza, presented to President Erdoğan the press vest they wore in Gaza. TRT Director General Sobacı presented a gift to President Erdoğan following his speech.

Nearly 150 nationally and internationally renowned figures including Former Prime Minister of Kyrgyz Republic Djoomart Otorbaev, Former First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf, General Supervisor of Official Media of State of Palestine Ahmed Assaf, Former Judge of the International Court of Justice Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, Regional Director for Africa, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Patrick Youssef participated as speakers in the open sessions at the major event, where key global issues were discussed over the course of two days.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of TRT.

Contact:
Sezin Soylu
sezin.soylu@trt.net.tr

Media files

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November 6, 2025

On the road to 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30): the African Development Bank Group is piloting several financial instruments to support African countries in tackling climate change

Source: APO

Eight of the 10 countries most affected by climate change are in Africa: droughts, cyclones and floods are compromising agricultural production, exposing populations to food insecurity and climate-induced migration and putting pressure on key sectors critical to the continent’s development, resulting in a significant displacement of public expenditure. Despite a lack of resources, Africa is trying to adapt to these effects of climate change. The continent receives less than three percent of global climate finance, even though it loses between seven percent and 15 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) due to climate change.

Given the urgency of the climate crisis, especially for the most vulnerable countries, the African Development Bank Group, Africa’s leading development finance institution, is strongly committed to supporting African countries in strengthening their resilience to climate change and supporting their transition to low-carbon development pathways. Through several climate finance initiatives and instruments, it is helping African countries access direct and flexible resources to implement their climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, including the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).

As Belém, the Brazilian metropolis in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, prepares to host the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) from 10 to 21 November 2025, the meeting is set to be decisive for the future of the Paris Agreement — 10 years after the world’s pledge to keep global warming below the critical threshold of 1.5°C.

Between 50,000 and 60,000 delegates – from heads of state to ministers, experts, financial actors, the private sector, civil society and Indigenous communities – are expected in the capital of the state of Pará to try to revive global climate momentum. The main priorities for this COP are to accelerate the energy transition, ensure a just transition for the most vulnerable nations, and, above all, mobilise large-scale climate finance for developing economies.

Finance innovations from the African Development Bank

One of the oldest climate finance mechanisms still in operation within the Bank Group is the Climate Investment Fund (CIF). With a budget of $12.5 billion, the fund, created in 2008, has supported 47 investment plans and approved 45 projects since its inception, providing more than $1 billion in financing to the Bank. Leveraging CIF resources, the Bank has also mobilized an additional $2.42 billion in co-financing.

This funding has enabled low- and middle-income African countries to accelerate their climate adaptation efforts through programmes in clean technology, access to clean energy, climate resilience and sustainable forests.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the CIF has enabled Dorcas Tshabu (https://apo-opa.co/43diNyu) to fulfil a childhood dream: to restore the forest in her homeland. After a long wait, she now manages a farm about 20 km from Mbuji-Mayi, in the centre of the country. “This used to be savanna, everywhere. But I turned it into a forest. It’s the work of my own hands! Everyone who passes by here appreciates it. That makes me happy,” says Dorcas.

Since 2021, Dorcas has grown a lush 50-hectare forest with the support of the Integrated REDD+ Project in the Mbuji-Mayi, Kananga and Kissangai basins (PIREDD-MBKIS). This project, financed to the tune of €21.5 million by the African Development Bank as part of the Forest Investment Program (FIP), has addressed the main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the country’s three provinces.

Established in 2011, the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) is also an essential facility in the development of clean-energy blended finance initiatives under the auspices of the African Development Bank. It provides catalytic finance to unlock private sector investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. SEFA also offers technical assistance and concessional finance instruments to remove market barriers, build a more robust pipeline of projects and improve the risk-return profile of individual investments. SEFA supports interventions across three strategic priorities: green baseload production, green mini-grids, and energy efficiency.

The 32 MW Ilute solar project in Zambia (https://apo-opa.co/47HSGRE) is one of the more than 100 projects supported by SEFA since its establishment. In June 2025, the Fund committed to contributing $8 million to a total financing package of $26.5 million for this project, demonstrating its commitment to innovative solutions that advance the energy transition in Africa.The project, led by an independent power producer (IPP) in western Zambia, will supply electricity through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) under a market-based power purchase agreement with regional electricity trader GreenCo Power Services Ltd. The project will serve as a model for other African countries seeking to attract private capital and promote regional energy integration.

Building resilience

In 2014, the Bank Group launched the Africa Climate Change Fund (ACCF). 11 years later, this multi-donor trust fund is strengthening community-led climate resilience on the continent. Some 33 projects have now received funding of $40.64 million since its launch.

In Djibouti, Assia Obakar Hassan, a mother from the village of Kalaf, embodies the profound transformation of part of the rural north of the country, driven by a regional project (https://apo-opa.co/3Lr17t1) implemented by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and financed by the African Development Bank through the Fund (https://apo-opa.co/4qMgLPS). “Before, farming was an impossible dream. Today, I feed my children thanks to the land,” says Ms Hassan.

This impact is also evident in projects supported by the African Circular Economy Fund (ACEF). The only trust fund dedicated exclusively to integrating the circular economy as a strategy for green and inclusive growth in Africa, the ACEF was created by the African Development Bank in 2022, with support from the Government of Finland, the Nordic Development Fund, and since 2024, the Coca-Cola Foundation.

Officials from the Bank Group recently visited Rwanda to meet with young innovators funded by the African Circular Economy Fund. Among them were Tresor Gashonga and Rafiki Gatsinzi (https://apo-opa.co/3WD8GPI), co-founders of Incuti Foods, which produces chili sauces, providing farmers with a stable market and a means of reducing post-harvest losses – a crucial intervention in a country where around three million tonnes of food are wasted each year. Their sauces are even used in trendy cocktails in Kigali’s lounge bars, proving that circularity can fit perfectly into urban culture.

The African Development Fund’s Climate Action Window, a new major player

In 2022, the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional window, launched the Climate Action Window to provide concessional financing to the most vulnerable African countries for adaptation, mitigation and technical support. With $429 million in funding, the window aims to mobilise $4 billion by the end of 2025 and $13 billion in the long term, offering rapid and consistent access to climate finance.

In 2024, the African Development Bank Group’s Board of Directors approved more than $31 million in financing (https://apo-opa.co/4oVw2Mu) through the Climate Action Window to strengthen climate change resilience in Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Djibouti and Madagascar. This project is expected to reduce CO_₂ emissions by some 720,000 tonnes and create 180,000 direct jobs, with a particular focus on women and young people. In addition, 90,000 farmers will be trained in climate-smart agricultural practices.

“These initiatives not only respond to climate change, they empower communities to take control of their future. They show that adaptation funding can and should be directed to the vulnerable communities that need it most,” said Anthony Nyong, Director of the Climate Change and Green Growth Department at the African Development Bank Group.

“The Climate Action Window is more than just a financing mechanism; it is a lifeline for communities that face the harsh realities of climate change every day,” added the senior official.

Several other mechanisms and initiatives that are funded or co-funded contribute to addressing climate challenges:

External climate funds

Climate Investment Funds (CIF) (https://apo-opa.co/49aQK6B)

Global Environment Facility (GEF) (https://apo-opa.co/47Dl1bC)

Green Climate Fund (GCF) (https://apo-opa.co/4oB74Cj)

Bilateral and multi-donor funds hosted by the African Development Bank

Africa Circular Economy Facility (ACEF) (https://apo-opa.co/4qK0UkR)

Africa Climate Change Fund (ACCF) (https://apo-opa.co/47XiPwW)

African Water Facility (AWF) (https://apo-opa.co/4qIJrcs)

Canada-African Development Bank Climate Fund (CACF) (https://apo-opa.co/3WD8H6e)

ClimDev Special Fund for Africa (https://apo-opa.co/4osgdgA)

Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) (https://apo-opa.co/43Xg9Np)

Transition Support Facility (TSF) (https://apo-opa.co/4ozhOkQ)

Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) (https://apo-opa.co/4ors4v6)

Special initiatives

Adaptation Benefit Mechanism (ABM) (https://apo-opa.co/4qJOvNJ)

Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) (https://apo-opa.co/4qQow7A)

African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) (https://apo-opa.co/3JOpkcf)

Africa Climate Risk Insurance Framework for Adaptation (https://apo-opa.co/4qF8IEl) (ACRIFA) Africa Disaster Risk Financing Programme (ADRiFi) (https://apo-opa.co/3LobaPA)

African Financial Alliance on Climate Change (AFAC) (https://apo-opa.co/47qfw18)

African Green Banks Initiative (AGBI) (https://apo-opa.co/4qChRNY)

Africa NDC Hub (https://apo-opa.co/4p0hxqW)

Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA) (https://apo-opa.co/4oTMXPr)

Desert to Power Initiative (https://apo-opa.co/485Djmj)

Sustainable Bond Program (https://apo-opa.co/49DWjKO)

Great Green Wall Initiative (https://apo-opa.co/47CuL5T)

Green Investment Program for Africa (GIPA) (https://apo-opa.co/47qfwhE)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

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November 6, 2025

All Eyes on Africa as United Arab Emirates (UAE) announces $6bn Tourism Investment Plan

Source: APO

As Africa records the fastest tourism growth globally, the UAE is set to inject $6 billion into the continent’s travel and hospitality sector – a move expected to create 70 000 new jobs.

The announcement was made at the recent UAE Africa Tourism Investment Summit 2025 in Dubai, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Organised by the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism in partnership with The Bench as part of Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) World 2025, the event brought together senior government officials, investors, and industry leaders to chart investment priorities and explore opportunities across tourism, infrastructure, aviation, and digital innovation.

On the sidelines, a ministerial roundtable led by H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, gathered ministers from over 20 African nations. The meeting concluded with a joint ministerial statement outlining plans to boost collaboration in various tourism sectors.

“Today, the UAE and Africa stand at a pivotal moment in developing a resilient and sustainable tourism sector,” said H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri. “This milestone is marked by the launch of a new investment mapping featuring diverse tourism projects in aviation, logistics, infrastructure, and the digital sector, with an estimated total value of approximately $6 billion and the potential to generate 70 000 job opportunities across Africa.”

He added: “Africa is home to a wealth of rich and diverse tourism assets – from coastal resorts and pristine beaches to cultural, heritage, and historical landmarks. These unique features present vast opportunities for the UAE business community and serve as a vital gateway for investment and expansion across various tourism activities. We are committed to fully leveraging this platform to transform ideas into tangible and sustainable tourism projects and partnerships that will help shape the future of economic development across the African continent.”

The ministerial statement also emphasised shared goals such as improving tourism infrastructure, expanding air connectivity, and advancing green, inclusive growth through partnerships and SME support.

Looking ahead: FHS Africa 2026

With momentum building from the Dubai summit, the spotlight now shifts to Future Hospitality Summit Africa (FHS Africa), the continent’s leading forum for hospitality investment and development. Bringing together senior industry leaders, policymakers and investors, the summit aims to accelerate deal-making, foster new partnerships, and shape the future of Africa’s tourism economy.

“FHS Africa will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of hospitality investment across the continent,” said Roy Bannister, Head of Strategic Partnerships for Africa at The Bench. “As we unpack the $6 billion Investment Plan, our focus will be on turning this framework into real projects, partnerships, and opportunities that deliver lasting impact for Africa’s tourism economy.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Future Hospitality Summit Africa (FHS Africa).

For Media Enquiries:
Contact Lexi Hall via email on capetown@klebergroup.com
Roy Bannister, Head of Strategic Partnerships for Africa is available for media interviews.

About Future Hospitality Summit Africa (FHS Africa):
Future Hospitality Summit Africa (FHS Africa) is the continent’s leading hospitality investment forum, bringing together industry leaders, investors, hotel operators and governments to drive growth, innovation and collaboration across Africa’s tourism and hospitality sector. The event has played a pivotal role in shaping Africa’s hospitality landscape – catalysing billions of dollars in investment, strengthening regional partnerships, and creating a dedicated platform for investors to unlock opportunities in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.

The next FHS Africa will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 31 March to 1 April 2026. More information: www.FutureHospitality.com/Africa

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November 6, 2025

President Ramaphosa confident in panel tasked with selecting new NDPP

Source: Government of South Africa

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the decision to appoint an Advisory Panel for the Selection of the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) is aimed at instilling public confidence in the process and the person who will fill the vacancy.

The President was speaking during a Questions for Oral Reply session in the National Assembly on Thursday.

Current NDPP, Advocate Shamila Batohi, is set to retire from the position in January 2026.

“This process is transparent and helps to build public confidence in the appointment of a person in this critical office.

“I selected a panel that would combine a variety of skills and experiences. These include the public service administration, financial management, legal and jurisprudence, administration of justice and the promotion of equality and human rights,” the President said.

The panel constituted by the President includes “representatives from the national executive, chapter 9 institutions and legal bodies”.

“I chose the heads of certain Chapter 9 institutions for the panel because these are independent bodies that were established in terms of our constitution to support and to protect South Africa’s constitutional democracy.

“They are required to always act impartially and subject to only the constitution and the law – ensuring that their decisions are made without fear, favour or prejudice.

“They are therefore well positioned to understand the qualities and capabilities expected of an NDPP,” the President noted.

Furthermore, legal practitioners are included in the panel to ensure that candidates are evaluated by experienced people in the legal and criminal justice system.

“And in addition to their legal acumen, candidates must be able to demonstrate qualities and capabilities relating to leadership, strategic management, financial management, ethical leadership and broad understanding of our criminal justice system.

“Based on their assessment, the panel will submit a shortlist of recommended candidates to me for consideration and appointment as empowered by the constitution and the NPA Act,” President Ramaphosa said.

Members of the panel – which is chaired by Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi – are:

Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission, Andrew Christoffel Nissen.
Chairperson of the Commission for Gender Equality, Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale.
Auditor-General of South Africa, Tsakani Maluleke.
Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Professor Somadoda Fikeni.
President of the Black Lawyers Association, Nkosana Mvundlela.
Representative of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers, Machini Motloung

“The panel that I have appointed are all people of great integrity and great eminence. So whatever decision will come out of the panel will be the panel’s decision. I’m assured about that.

“The minister who knows all the contours of the work that needs to be done by this key official, will play a critical role as chair of the panel so that even if they veer into areas that are not prescribed…she will be able to give guidance.

“The panel itself will take decisions that will then be put forward to me. I have full confidence in the ability of the minister ability to do so,” President Ramaphosa said.

The closing date for applications and nominations is expected to be this week, as announced by the Justice Department last month. – SAnews.gov.za

November 6, 2025

PRASA adds trains for Carling Knockout semi-final fans

Source: Government of South Africa

Thursday, November 6, 2025

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has announced an additional train service for spectators attending the highly anticipated Carling Black Label Knockout Semi-Final between Orlando Pirates and Richards FC this weekend.

The match will take place at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, 8 November 2025.

“To ease traffic congestion and to ensure an enjoyable experience for fans, PRASA will operate a dedicated train service to Moses Mabhida Station. The special train service will be at a cost of R20 per return ticket for all spectators from their station of departure to Moses Mabhida and back.

“PRASA encourages all spectators to familiarise themselves with the scheduled service for seamless travel,” the agency said on Thursday.

Trains will be available from the following operational lines: Umlazi, KwaMashu, Crossmoor, Cato Ridge, Bridge City, Pinetown and the South Coast.

The train shuttle service from Durban Station to Moses Mabhida Station will be available every 30 minutes from 11:55am to 2:25pm and resume back from Moses Mabhida Station to Durban Station from 5:13pm to 6:43pm.

For spectators who wish to park at the stations and utilise the train, there will be a park and ride service between Durban Station to Moses Mabhida Station.

The Park and Ride service will be included in the train ticket price of R20.

Spectators are encouraged to arrive early to purchase their return tickets at stations and are advised to adhere to the train schedules, to ensure timely arrival and departure from Moses Mabhida stadium.

The information on the train schedules and park and ride facilities will be shared on X social media pages: @PRASA_Group & @Metrorail_kzn.

“PRASA is committed to providing safe, reliable, and Efficient transport solutions for all South Africans. PRASA wishes to emphasise that all rail safety regulations must be adhered to at all times on board Isitimela Sabantu as well as at all stations,” the agency said. –SAnews.gov.za

November 6, 2025

SASSA urges use of registered cellphone numbers for SRD grant

Source: Government of South Africa

Thursday, November 6, 2025

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is urging all COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant (R370) applicants to use cell phone numbers that are registered under their names to do official application for the grant.

In a statement on Thursday, the Agency said the cell phone number and banking details are crucial particulars for the application processes.

“All applicants and beneficiaries must be aware that using your number will assist to monitor, check the progress of the application and receive notifications from the Agency that might need the applicant or beneficiary’s attention.

“These notifications include the messages to do verification process. Without exercising the verification process the application will be unsuccessful and no grant will be paid,” the Agency said.

The Agency said that verification exercise ensures that the grant is paid to the right person and assists in fighting against fraudulent activities.

“When the banking details do not belong to the applicant the system will not verify the payment. Once the banking details have been verified and confirmed the grant will be received from next pay run.

“To avoid unnecessary delays with your application, applicants must provide accurate information,” the Agency said.

To apply for this grant visit https://srd.sassa.gov.za select either South African ID Holders or Asylum Seekers and Special Permit Holders and follow the prompts.

For more information contact toll free during working days/hours 0800 60 10 11 during working hours Monday – Friday. – SAnews.gov.za