One of the biggest challenges in any vaccine rollout is storing vaccines while they are in transit. What if the location of where the vaccines have to be shipped is off the power grid? Our next report gets you all the details.

Storing vaccine doses in areas that are off the grid

Five days after the military takeover in Burkina Faso, West Africa's main regional block, the ECOWAS has suspended Burkina Faso from its governing bodies.

ECOWAS suspends Burkina Faso from its governing bodies amid military takeover

First drought, now floods. Kenyans lose goats, sheep and livelihoods as climate change batters Africa. WION brings you this report.

Drought followed by floods in Kenya, citizens struggle to find food

The East African country of Uganda is planning to curb its borrowing and boost exports in sectors such as meat and dairy.

The East African country of Uganda is planning to curb its borrowing & boost exports

A different kind of geopolitics is unravelling in the African continent. The US, Russia and China are setting up military and naval bases to combat growing concerns.

The US ramps up defence technologies amid growing concerns with Russia & China

COVID-19 infections in South Africa are diminishing after the country saw a massive surge in cases during the fourth wave. According to UN, COVID cases and related deaths have reduced in multiple parts of Africa. The newly reported cases have fallen by almost 20 per cent.

Coronavirus cases lower in South Africa after period of massive surge in infections

After months of massive surge in COVID infection rates, mainly driven by the fast spreading Omicron variant, cases are now plummeting in Africa. According to UN, COVID cases have dropped in Africa and Coronavirus related deaths have also declined since the fourth wave of the virus reached its peak.

COVID cases plummet in Africa after fourth Coronavirus wave

How do we tackle global warming? Some say we could cool the earth by dimming the sun's rays. Scientists say any such experiment will take a toll on Africa, Asia. Listen in to Palki Sharma

Gravitas: Group of scientists oppose dimming the sun's rays

India will dispatch an infantry battalion for the United Nation's peacekeeping operations in the oil rich Abyei region in Africa. It's an area which straddles northern and southern Sudan and is hotly contested by both. The Indian infantry group with around 570 soldiers will be deployed under the UN interim security force for Abyei, it is tasked with monitoring the volatile border between north and south Sudan.

India to dispatch an infantry battalion for UN's peacekeeping ops in Africa

Access to clean renewable energy in the coming decades will define how quickly nations around the world will be able to progress, and the African nation of Mauritania is putting in place the infrastructure for a green and sustainable future.

African nation of Mauritania is putting in place the infrastructure for a green, sustainable future

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is currently on a three-nation tour of Africa. China denies trapping Africa in debt.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is currently on a three-nation tour of Africa

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday refuted claims that China was tarpping African nations in debt trap by lending huge amounts of loans. Yi said such claims was just a 'narrative' pushed by opponents. He was speaking in Mobasa, Kenya ahead of touring China-funded infrastructure projects in the country.

Wang Yi claimed that Chinese loans to African nations were 'mutually benefiting'. He said that the loans were not a strategy to win diplomatic and commercial concessions

Wang, speaking ahead of touring Beijing-funded infrastructure projects in Kenya, said China's considerable lending to Africa was "mutually benefiting" and not a strategy to extract diplomatic and commercial concessions.

"That is simply not a fact. It is speculation being played out by some with ulterior motives," he told reporters in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.

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"This is a narrative that has been created by those who do not want to see development in Africa. If there is any trap, it is about poverty and underdevelopment," he said, speaking through an interpreter.

Wang's three-nation tour of Eritrea, Kenya and the Comoros follows a trip to Africa by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in November that in part aimed at countering China's growing influence on the continent.

China is Africa's largest trading partner, with direct trade worth over $200 billion (177 billion euros) in 2019, according to official Chinese figures.&nbsp;

China is Kenya's second-largest lender after the World Bank and has funded a number of costly infrastructure projects that have raised concerns about Nairobi taking on more debt than it can afford.

In Mombasa, Wang held a closed-door meeting with a team of government ministers and signed agreements on trade and investment, health, security, climate change and green technology transfer.

He later met President Uhuru Kenyatta and visited the Port of Mombasa, where China is constructing a new $353 million terminal to allow larger oil tankers to berth.

"The visit is a testament to the deepening of relations between the two countries," said Kenya's foreign minister, Raychelle Omamo.

(With inputs from agencies)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday refuted claims that China was tarpping African nations in debt trap by lending huge amounts of loans. Yi said such claims was just a 'narrative' pushed by opponents.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday refuted claims that China was tarpping African nations in debt trap by lending huge amounts of loans. Yi said such claims was just a 'narrative' pushed by opponents. He was speaking in Mobasa, Kenya ahead of touring China-funded infrastructure projects in the country. Wang Yi claimed that Chinese loans to African nations were 'mutually benefiting'. He said that the loans were not a strategy to win diplomatic and commercial concessions Wang, speaking ahead of touring Beijing-funded infrastructure projects in Kenya, said China's considerable lending to Africa was "mutually benefiting" and not a strategy to extract diplomatic and commercial concessions. "That is simply not a fact. It is speculation being played out by some with ulterior motives," he told reporters in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. Also Read | Hotter than the real Sun?: China's 'artificial Sun' sets massive record for plasma fusion "This is a narrative that has been created by those who do not want to see development in Africa. If there is any trap, it is about poverty and underdevelopment," he said, speaking through an interpreter. Wang's three-nation tour of Eritrea, Kenya and the Comoros follows a trip to Africa by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in November that in part aimed at countering China's growing influence on the continent. China is Africa's largest trading partner, with direct trade worth over $200 billion (177 billion euros) in 2019, according to official Chinese figures. China is Kenya's second-largest lender after the World Bank and has funded a number of costly infrastructure projects that have raised concerns about Nairobi taking on more debt than it can afford. In Mombasa, Wang held a closed-door meeting with a team of government ministers and signed agreements on trade and investment, health, security, climate change and green technology transfer. He later met President Uhuru Kenyatta and visited the Port of Mombasa, where China is constructing a new $353 million terminal to allow larger oil tankers to berth. "The visit is a testament to the deepening of relations between the two countries," said Kenya's foreign minister, Raychelle Omamo. (With inputs from agencies)

China not trapping African nations in debt, claims foreign minister

Scientists have identified a previously unknown storm called ''atmospheric lake'' in a recent study.

The research, presented at the 2021 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, sheds light on a new type of weather condition.

Long-lived "lakes" of water vapour in the atmosphere are observed to occur over the western Indian Ocean.&nbsp;

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The compact, slow-moving, moisture-rich pools sometimes drift west over the East African coast, bringing rain to that semi-arid area.

"The winds that carry these things ashore are so tantalizingly, delicately near zero [wind speed], that everything could affect them," says one of the researchers, atmospheric scientist Brian Mapes, from the University of Miami.

"That's when you need to know, do they self-propel, or are they driven by some very much larger-scale wind patterns that may change with climate change."

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By contrast to rain-bearing "atmospheric rivers" of vapor, which are contiguous from source to the coastline at an instant, scientists call these disconnected and drifting water bodies "atmospheric lakes".

Their dynamics resemble those of a well-studied theoretical and simulation paradigm for tropical disturbances called "self-aggregation".&nbsp;

While that area's rainfall climatology is well studied on monthly basis, these vapor-mediated "storms" may have been missed as traditional meteorology tends to focus more on wind-field features and 'disturbances' as the long-lived entities of weather.

"It's a place that's dry on average, so when these [atmospheric lakes] happen, they're surely very consequential," says Mapes.

"I look forward to learning more local knowledge about them, in this area with a venerable and fascinating nautical history where observant sailors coined the word monsoon for wind patterns, and surely noticed these occasional rainstorms, too."

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Scientists have identified a previously unknown storm called ''atmospheric lake'' in a recent study. The research, presented at the 2021 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, sheds light on a new type of weather condition.

Scientists have identified a previously unknown storm called ''atmospheric lake'' in a recent study. The research, presented at the 2021 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, sheds light on a new type of weather condition. Long-lived "lakes" of water vapour in the atmosphere are observed to occur over the western Indian Ocean. Also see | Aerial photos show destruction due to Typhoon Rai in Philippines The compact, slow-moving, moisture-rich pools sometimes drift west over the East African coast, bringing rain to that semi-arid area. "The winds that carry these things ashore are so tantalizingly, delicately near zero [wind speed], that everything could affect them," says one of the researchers, atmospheric scientist Brian Mapes, from the University of Miami. "That's when you need to know, do they self-propel, or are they driven by some very much larger-scale wind patterns that may change with climate change." Also see | Fires, floods, flying insects: Climate-fuelled disasters that wreaked havoc across world By contrast to rain-bearing "atmospheric rivers" of vapor, which are contiguous from source to the coastline at an instant, scientists call these disconnected and drifting water bodies "atmospheric lakes". Their dynamics resemble those of a well-studied theoretical and simulation paradigm for tropical disturbances called "self-aggregation". While that area's rainfall climatology is well studied on monthly basis, these vapor-mediated "storms" may have been missed as traditional meteorology tends to focus more on wind-field features and 'disturbances' as the long-lived entities of weather. "It's a place that's dry on average, so when these [atmospheric lakes] happen, they're surely very consequential," says Mapes. "I look forward to learning more local knowledge about them, in this area with a venerable and fascinating nautical history where observant sailors coined the word monsoon for wind patterns, and surely noticed these occasional rainstorms, too." (With inputs from agencies)

Researchers identify unique storm called 'atmospheric lake'

Ostrich eggshell beads were used to create the world's oldest social network, connecting cultures.

According to researchers in Germany, the beads show a 50,000-year-old infrastructure that connects Stone Age people in South and East Africa.

Humans entirely changed the shells to construct the beads, making them the world's oldest fully made jewellery.

Different prehistoric cultures manufactured various types of beads, allowing scholars to trace links between them.

Anthropologists spent more than a decade compiling the world's largest database of ostrich eggshell beads, which included 1,500 beads from the last 50,000 years and were discovered in 31 locations across South and East Africa. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/social-media-day-history-significance-and-all-you-need-to-know-394943">Also read | Social Media Day: History, significance and all you need to know</a>

They discovered that people in the two regions were using nearly similar beads by comparing the diameter and shell thickness of the beads.&nbsp;

The findings show that the oldest social network discovered was a long-distance social network that connected people living approximately 1,900 kilometres apart.

By 33,000 years ago, all signs of the network had vanished, which was most likely caused by drastic climate change.

"Humans are social beings, but little is known about when, how, and why distinct populations bonded in the past," stated lead study author Dr Jennifer Miller.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Ostrich eggshell beads were used to create the world's oldest social network, connecting cultures. According to researchers in Germany, the beads show a 50,000-year-old infrastructure that connects Stone Age people in South and East Africa.

Ostrich eggshell beads were used to create the world's oldest social network, connecting cultures. According to researchers in Germany, the beads show a 50,000-year-old infrastructure that connects Stone Age people in South and East Africa. Humans entirely changed the shells to construct the beads, making them the world's oldest fully made jewellery. Different prehistoric cultures manufactured various types of beads, allowing scholars to trace links between them. Anthropologists spent more than a decade compiling the world's largest database of ostrich eggshell beads, which included 1,500 beads from the last 50,000 years and were discovered in 31 locations across South and East Africa. Also read | Social Media Day: History, significance and all you need to know They discovered that people in the two regions were using nearly similar beads by comparing the diameter and shell thickness of the beads. The findings show that the oldest social network discovered was a long-distance social network that connected people living approximately 1,900 kilometres apart. By 33,000 years ago, all signs of the network had vanished, which was most likely caused by drastic climate change. "Humans are social beings, but little is known about when, how, and why distinct populations bonded in the past," stated lead study author Dr Jennifer Miller. (With inputs from agencies)

Social networking in Stone Age: 50,000-year-old social network discovered in Africa

Nepal has banned the entry of people coming from eight African countries and Hong Kong to curb the spread of the newly found Omicron COVID-19 variant.

Nepal bans entry from 8 African nations, Hong Kong over Omicron variant fears

The first cases of Omicron have appeared in Brazil and Latin America. The two travellers in Brazil who arrived from South Africa have tested positive.

Brazil confirms two cases of Omicron, closes air borders with six African nations

Following the outbreak of the Omicron variant in Africa, India has come forward to support the affected countries in the continent. The Indian ministry of external affairs offered support by issuing a statement that highlighted made-in India vaccines will be supplied to the affected African countries.

India to supply indigenous covid-19 vaccines to Africa to fight Omicron

The third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit concludes in Istanbul. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pledged 15 million covid-19 vaccine doses to Africa.

Here are key highlights of third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit

The third edition of the Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit concludes in Istanbul with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledging 15 Million COVID doses to Africa.

3rd Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit concludes in Istanbul

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa is experiencing its fastest surge in COVID-19 cases this year, with the number up 83 per cent in the past week, although deaths remain low.

Africa sees 83% surge in COVID-19 cases in past week, WHO remains 'cautiously optimistic'

With COVID-19 still isn't over yet, African nations are wasting millions of COVID jabs due to sluggish rollout and inadequate storage facilities.

Are African nations wasting millions of COVID jabs? 400,000 jabs to go waste in Senegal

In a shocking incident, Africa's Nigeria witnessed a huge wastage of the COVID-19 vaccine. Around one million doses of vaccine expired after not being utilized.

Around one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine wasted in Africa's Nigeria

If reports are to be believed, China may be looking for its first permanent military base on Africa's Atlantic coast.&nbsp;In order to thwart the idea, the US seems to have already started diplomatic effort, reports said. &nbsp;

Citing intelligence reports, US officials told ‘Wall Street Journal’ that Beijing may be looking for port city of Bata in Equatorial Guinea as the base. &nbsp;

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Bata already has a deep-water port, which had been upgraded by China Road &amp; Bridge Co between 2009 and 2014, a report said. &nbsp;&nbsp;

In 2019, US first learnt about the possibility of the base in the city, the report said. &nbsp;

In an email, Department of Defense spokesman Todd Breasseale told Fox News, "part of US diplomacy to address maritime security issues, the administration has made clear to Equatorial Guinea that certain potential steps involving PRC activity there would raise national security concerns." &nbsp;

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To dissuade President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and his son from agreeing to the deal, principal deputy US national security adviser Jon Finer visited the country in October, as per the Journal. &nbsp;

In a statement at the time, the White House said that the two discussed "ways to enhance maritime security and end the COVID-19 pandemic." &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

If reports are to be believed, China may be looking for its first permanent military base on Africa's Atlantic coast. In order to thwart the idea, the US seems to have already started diplomatic effort, reports said.

If reports are to be believed, China may be looking for its first permanent military base on Africa's Atlantic coast. In order to thwart the idea, the US seems to have already started diplomatic effort, reports said. Citing intelligence reports, US officials told ‘Wall Street Journal’ that Beijing may be looking for port city of Bata in Equatorial Guinea as the base. Also Read: US announces diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics due to human rights abuses in China Bata already has a deep-water port, which had been upgraded by China Road & Bridge Co between 2009 and 2014, a report said. In 2019, US first learnt about the possibility of the base in the city, the report said. In an email, Department of Defense spokesman Todd Breasseale told Fox News, "part of US diplomacy to address maritime security issues, the administration has made clear to Equatorial Guinea that certain potential steps involving PRC activity there would raise national security concerns." Also Read: China's bomber carries out mine laying exercise in South China Sea To dissuade President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and his son from agreeing to the deal, principal deputy US national security adviser Jon Finer visited the country in October, as per the Journal. In a statement at the time, the White House said that the two discussed "ways to enhance maritime security and end the COVID-19 pandemic." (With inputs from agencies)

China eyes military base on Africa's Atlantic coast, US trying to thwart it, say reports

According to a report, Africa has little chance of overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic unless 70% of its population is vaccinated by end-2022, yet “extreme vaccine discrimination” is leaving the continent behind.

Africa has little chance of overcoming COVID-19, says report

During the summit in Senegal, China assured that it will deliver another 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa and encourage Chinese companies to invest no less than $10 billion in the continent over the next three years.

Chinese prez Xi Jinping pledges another 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses for Africa

Beijing has its eyes set on Africa, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi is in Senegal to take part in the eighth edition of the China-Africa cooperation forum.

China-Africa cooperation meet in Dakar, vow to strengthen ties

A Ghanaian man in New York decided to put his time to good use. He sifted through the storage containers and bookshops and has now acquired the world's largest collection of African photography books.

New York: Ghanaian man creates the largest collection of books

India's Prof. Patel who has been elected to the international law commission has called for regional voices from Africa and Asia in the international law-making process. He has been elected for a period of 5 year starting first of January 2023. Speaking exclusively to our Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, he said, "Until and unless, due importance to regional voices, be it Africa, Asia are given to international law making, international law can hardly have the appeal or the utility to international community as a whole." He got overwhelming support during the election, with 163 votes in 192 members present and voting. India topped in the Asia Pacific group. International Law Commission which holds its session in Geneva has 34 members from 34 countries. The commission deals with codification of international law and law like the Rome statute, UNCLOS owe origin to proposals by the commission. The professor explained that, "There is huge revival and importance of international law in the international law making and realizing the importance of international law is not just for development of law, but for security, economic development ".

WION Exclusive: Need Asian, African voices at International law making, says Prof Bimal Patel

An albino activist was sworn in to Malawi's parliament on Thursday, a first in a country where people with albinism have suffered discrimination and killings.

Overstone Kondowe won a by-election last month in central Malawi, a milestone after years of victimisation. &nbsp;

"Being the first person with albinism elected in this kind of office, there is high expectation, not only in Malawi, but the whole world is looking forward to what I would do," he told AFP soon after his swearing-in.

"My last word to persons with disability, and in particular persons with albinism, they need not to underrate themselves," he said.

"And they need to work hard towards their goal. I remain a model to them and I will inspire them more so that they aim higher," he added.

Malawi suffered a wave of assaults against albinos from late 2014.

At the height of the attacks in 2016, Kondowe founded the Association of People with Albinism in Malawi to push the government to take action.

Amnesty International says more than 20 albinos have been killed in Malawi since 2014.

In the last four months, Amnesty said seven attacks against albinos have been recorded, ranging from killings, tampering of graves, attempted abductions, and physical violence.

As in other countries in the region, albinos' body parts are used in rituals to bring wealth and luck.

Some albinos are also accused of being "vampires" who seek human blood for rituals, sometimes triggering vigilante violence in retaliation.

President Lazarus Chakwera has named Kondowe as his special adviser on people with disability. Kondowe is also the current chairperson of the African Union for Persons with Albinism.

Former UN independent expert on albinism Ikponwosa Ero told AFP she was elated by Kondowe’s election.

"Overstone’s election is a giant step forward in the protection of human rights of people with albinism in Malawi and the Africa region as a whole," she said.

"It shows that the context of discrimination is changing for the better for people with albinism in Malawi."

An albino activist was sworn in to Malawi's parliament on Thursday, a first in a country where people with albinism have suffered discrimination and killings. Overstone Kondowe won a by-election last month in central Malawi, a milestone after years of victimisation.

An albino activist was sworn in to Malawi's parliament on Thursday, a first in a country where people with albinism have suffered discrimination and killings. Overstone Kondowe won a by-election last month in central Malawi, a milestone after years of victimisation. "Being the first person with albinism elected in this kind of office, there is high expectation, not only in Malawi, but the whole world is looking forward to what I would do," he told AFP soon after his swearing-in. "My last word to persons with disability, and in particular persons with albinism, they need not to underrate themselves," he said. "And they need to work hard towards their goal. I remain a model to them and I will inspire them more so that they aim higher," he added. Malawi suffered a wave of assaults against albinos from late 2014. At the height of the attacks in 2016, Kondowe founded the Association of People with Albinism in Malawi to push the government to take action. Amnesty International says more than 20 albinos have been killed in Malawi since 2014. In the last four months, Amnesty said seven attacks against albinos have been recorded, ranging from killings, tampering of graves, attempted abductions, and physical violence. As in other countries in the region, albinos' body parts are used in rituals to bring wealth and luck. Some albinos are also accused of being "vampires" who seek human blood for rituals, sometimes triggering vigilante violence in retaliation. President Lazarus Chakwera has named Kondowe as his special adviser on people with disability. Kondowe is also the current chairperson of the African Union for Persons with Albinism. Former UN independent expert on albinism Ikponwosa Ero told AFP she was elated by Kondowe’s election. "Overstone’s election is a giant step forward in the protection of human rights of people with albinism in Malawi and the Africa region as a whole," she said. "It shows that the context of discrimination is changing for the better for people with albinism in Malawi."

First albino joins Malawi's parliament

The staff at Big Cabal, a media startup, wanted to ditch its diesel generator, but needed something to keep the office air conditioners running. The generator was noisy, expensive and, maybe worst of all, bad for the environment.

Hoping for a greener solution to its problem, Big Cabal in 2019 bought solar panels for its two-story office building.

But the leap to solar didn’t go according to plan — and the reasons illuminate the big challenges Africa faces from climate change. The region is rich in fossil fuels and is eager to use them to fix its notoriously unreliable power grids. But to slow global warming, nations must burn less oil and gas, not more. Meantime, Africa is heating up much faster than the rest of the world.

For starters, Big Cabal found that the solar panels cost about three times more than the generator in maintenance costs. And, even though the company’s finance manager, Sophia Abu, scouted for the most powerful units the company could afford, they still weren’t quite enough to run the air conditioners. So while Big Cabal’s staff, who write technology and culture news, sweltered in the summer heat, the AC units hummed cheerfully and pushed out warm air.

“We’ve had to buy more batteries, and more panels,” Abu said, as well as special air conditioners that work with solar inverters, devices that can accommodate battery storage.

Now, the diesel generator is back, screaming behind the office. The company switches between power from the local utility, the generator and the solar panels.

That juggling act gets to the heart of a big question facing African nations: Who gets to keep using fossil fuels, and for how long, during the transition to clean energy?

“When they say cut in Africa, what do they want to cut?” asked Titus Gwemende, Zimbabwe-based climate director at the Open Society Foundation, a grants organization. “There’s nothing to cut here. African countries are the ones on the receiving end of this problem. It’s the bigger emitters that should have the responsibility to cut,” he said. “We should be sensitive to history.”

A swift transition is crucial in the global fight against climate change. But not only would that be particularly costly in poorer nations, many African countries have an abundance of natural gas or other fossil fuels, and they argue forcefully that the rest of the world doesn’t have a right to tell them not to use it.

Proven crude oil reserves on the African continent total more than 100 billion barrels spanning 11 countries, with Libya and Nigeria among the 10 biggest producers globally. The region is rich in gas, too: Combined, Nigeria, Algeria and Mozambique hold about 6% of the world’s natural gas reserves.

As world leaders meet at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, some African leaders and activists are, for the first time, vocally opposing a speedier pivot to renewables for their countries. Instead, they are pressing for a slower transition, one that would embrace a continued reliance on fossil fuels — particularly natural gas, which burns more cleanly than coal or oil, but which still pumps planet-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Their calls come at an awkward time.

This year alone, scientists and researchers have issued numerous reports showing the damage that the widespread burning of fossil fuels has caused to the climate over the decades. The scientific findings highlight the urgency of switching to cleaner energy if the world is to prevent global temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times, a target set by the Paris accord, the agreement among nations to slow climate change.

Beyond that temperature threshold, scientists say, the risk of calamities like deadly heat waves, water shortages and ecosystem collapse grows sharply.

But in order to hit that target and avert the worst climate catastrophes, analysts here say, African nations should be supported financially by wealthier ones as they seek alternative pathways to reducing emissions. When the time comes, Gwemende said, developed countries should also transfer technical knowledge on renewables to Africa.

Pulling Away the Ladder

Insisting that African countries transition more swiftly to renewables, some analysts say, is akin to developed nations using a ladder to climb a wall, then pulling it up before developing countries can do the same.

Under growing pressure to act, development banks and richer countries alike have been rolling back their support for fossil fuel projects like coal-burning power plants.

In 2017, the World Bank cut funding for projects like these and began to invest more in renewable energy projects. And in Glasgow, rich countries like Britain, the United States, Canada and Denmark have pledged to stop spending on fossil fuel projects abroad by 2022, barring some exemptions&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;

So far, at least one gas project in Mozambique, a gas-rich country in southern Africa, will not be going ahead according to the Africa Energy Chamber, an advisory firm. Oil giant BP has said it will roll back its oil and gas production, including on the continent.

African leaders are voicing their displeasure. In several seminars at the Glasgow climate conference, as well as in opinion pieces in recent months, they’ve taken sharp jabs at these cutbacks.

“Efforts to restrict fossil fuel investments in Africa are even harder to stomach because many of the wealthy countries behind them — including Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States — include natural gas in their own multidecade plans to transition to clean energy,” Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s vice president, wrote in Foreign Affairs in the run-up to the talks, known as COP26.

Nigeria depends largely on gas for electricity, and on crude for revenue. “Climate action shouldn’t mean strangling all fossil fuel projects but rather facilitating the flow of capital to the countries that need it most,” Osinbajo wrote.

Sub-Saharan Africa contributes about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, among the lowest of the world’s regions. Yet African countries are particularly hard hit by the consequences of climate change. The region is warming faster than the global average and experiencing bigger increases in sea-level rise.

Parts of East Africa haven’t seen rain in years and are battling droughts. The Sahel region of West Africa has recorded a sharp rise in conflicts between farmers and herders caused by vegetation loss. And in southern Madagascar, families are boiling cactus leaves for food in what the United Nations is calling one of the world’s first famines induced by climate change.

Yet, at the same time, the development stakes are particularly high for the continent, which is home to some 1.2 billion people, half of whom don’t have access to electricity — a group equivalent to the entire population of the European Union.

The problems in electrification are wide-ranging and vary from country to country: Absence of power-generating capacity, absence of technical expertise, and widespread corruption.

There are plans, under the African Union, to rely largely on renewables by 2050 but only a handful of countries like South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia and Morocco have high renewable capacities presently.

More Time, More Money

In the Lagos office, a ding announces a power cut. But the lights quickly blink on again, as the solar system takes over.

Big Cabal’s employees have settled into a routine with their complex mix of electricity sources. But it required much time and money.

It’s that time and money that African leaders say the continent needs more of, in order to make a transition to renewable power. Renewable technologies are expensive in almost all regions, but, on top of those costs, African countries also face the expenses of industrializing, providing better health care and building food and education systems.

However, getting world leaders to agree to keep funding oil and gas projects could prove difficult. In Glasgow, Britain and other rich countries have pledged to fund Africa with billions of dollars to increase warning systems, protect vulnerable communities in the Sahel, and, for coal-reliant South Africa, to help speed the transition to clean energy.

But some are not enthusiastic about the new announcements. The same countries promised $100 billion annually in 2009 to developing countries, but those funds have been slow to come. The announcements are only a first step, said Lily Odarno of the Clean Air Task Force, a Washington nonprofit. Until the money arrives, she said, “it’s better to wait and see.”

Meanwhile, the U.N.’s environmental agency says developing countries spend about $70 billion on adaptation costs — responding to floods and droughts, for example — annually.

Sidelining Africa’s concerns could have consequences, analysts say. Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to see doubled population growth rates by 2050 and Nigeria will overtake the United States to become the second-most-populous country in the world. Africa also has the fastest urban growth rate in the world. By 2050, these populations are likely to be using up a lot of energy, whether it is clean or not.

Some analysts argue that Africa’s leaders should, in fact, make faster progress on renewable energy, citing in particular the continent’s huge solar potential. Happy Khambule, a senior political adviser with Greenpeace Africa, said his organization rejected the calls to continue using fossil fuels on the continent and equated it with “burning up the house we all live in.”

But overall, the message from African leaders at this month’s Glasgow climate talks is that the continent should be able to stick with some fossil fuels as part of the transition, considering the region’s economic and historic realities.

“It will be a successful COP if the bulk of the action is done by countries outside the continent,” said Gwemende, of Open Society Foundation. “It will be successful if the moneys are dispensed by the big emitters. But our work should go beyond COP. There’s more work to do after.” 
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The staff at Big Cabal, a media startup, wanted to ditch its diesel generator, but needed something to keep the office air conditioners running. The generator was noisy, expensive and, maybe worst of all, bad for the environment.

The staff at Big Cabal, a media startup, wanted to ditch its diesel generator, but needed something to keep the office air conditioners running. The generator was noisy, expensive and, maybe worst of all, bad for the environment. Hoping for a greener solution to its problem, Big Cabal in 2019 bought solar panels for its two-story office building. But the leap to solar didn’t go according to plan — and the reasons illuminate the big challenges Africa faces from climate change. The region is rich in fossil fuels and is eager to use them to fix its notoriously unreliable power grids. But to slow global warming, nations must burn less oil and gas, not more. Meantime, Africa is heating up much faster than the rest of the world. For starters, Big Cabal found that the solar panels cost about three times more than the generator in maintenance costs. And, even though the company’s finance manager, Sophia Abu, scouted for the most powerful units the company could afford, they still weren’t quite enough to run the air conditioners. So while Big Cabal’s staff, who write technology and culture news, sweltered in the summer heat, the AC units hummed cheerfully and pushed out warm air. “We’ve had to buy more batteries, and more panels,” Abu said, as well as special air conditioners that work with solar inverters, devices that can accommodate battery storage. Now, the diesel generator is back, screaming behind the office. The company switches between power from the local utility, the generator and the solar panels. That juggling act gets to the heart of a big question facing African nations: Who gets to keep using fossil fuels, and for how long, during the transition to clean energy? “When they say cut in Africa, what do they want to cut?” asked Titus Gwemende, Zimbabwe-based climate director at the Open Society Foundation, a grants organization. “There’s nothing to cut here. African countries are the ones on the receiving end of this problem. It’s the bigger emitters that should have the responsibility to cut,” he said. “We should be sensitive to history.” A swift transition is crucial in the global fight against climate change. But not only would that be particularly costly in poorer nations, many African countries have an abundance of natural gas or other fossil fuels, and they argue forcefully that the rest of the world doesn’t have a right to tell them not to use it. Proven crude oil reserves on the African continent total more than 100 billion barrels spanning 11 countries, with Libya and Nigeria among the 10 biggest producers globally. The region is rich in gas, too: Combined, Nigeria, Algeria and Mozambique hold about 6% of the world’s natural gas reserves. As world leaders meet at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, some African leaders and activists are, for the first time, vocally opposing a speedier pivot to renewables for their countries. Instead, they are pressing for a slower transition, one that would embrace a continued reliance on fossil fuels — particularly natural gas, which burns more cleanly than coal or oil, but which still pumps planet-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Their calls come at an awkward time. This year alone, scientists and researchers have issued numerous reports showing the damage that the widespread burning of fossil fuels has caused to the climate over the decades. The scientific findings highlight the urgency of switching to cleaner energy if the world is to prevent global temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times, a target set by the Paris accord, the agreement among nations to slow climate change. Beyond that temperature threshold, scientists say, the risk of calamities like deadly heat waves, water shortages and ecosystem collapse grows sharply. But in order to hit that target and avert the worst climate catastrophes, analysts here say, African nations should be supported financially by wealthier ones as they seek alternative pathways to reducing emissions. When the time comes, Gwemende said, developed countries should also transfer technical knowledge on renewables to Africa. Pulling Away the Ladder Insisting that African countries transition more swiftly to renewables, some analysts say, is akin to developed nations using a ladder to climb a wall, then pulling it up before developing countries can do the same. Under growing pressure to act, development banks and richer countries alike have been rolling back their support for fossil fuel projects like coal-burning power plants. In 2017, the World Bank cut funding for projects like these and began to invest more in renewable energy projects. And in Glasgow, rich countries like Britain, the United States, Canada and Denmark have pledged to stop spending on fossil fuel projects abroad by 2022, barring some exemptions. So far, at least one gas project in Mozambique, a gas-rich country in southern Africa, will not be going ahead according to the Africa Energy Chamber, an advisory firm. Oil giant BP has said it will roll back its oil and gas production, including on the continent. African leaders are voicing their displeasure. In several seminars at the Glasgow climate conference, as well as in opinion pieces in recent months, they’ve taken sharp jabs at these cutbacks. “Efforts to restrict fossil fuel investments in Africa are even harder to stomach because many of the wealthy countries behind them — including Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States — include natural gas in their own multidecade plans to transition to clean energy,” Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s vice president, wrote in Foreign Affairs in the run-up to the talks, known as COP26. Nigeria depends largely on gas for electricity, and on crude for revenue. “Climate action shouldn’t mean strangling all fossil fuel projects but rather facilitating the flow of capital to the countries that need it most,” Osinbajo wrote. Sub-Saharan Africa contributes about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, among the lowest of the world’s regions. Yet African countries are particularly hard hit by the consequences of climate change. The region is warming faster than the global average and experiencing bigger increases in sea-level rise. Parts of East Africa haven’t seen rain in years and are battling droughts. The Sahel region of West Africa has recorded a sharp rise in conflicts between farmers and herders caused by vegetation loss. And in southern Madagascar, families are boiling cactus leaves for food in what the United Nations is calling one of the world’s first famines induced by climate change. Yet, at the same time, the development stakes are particularly high for the continent, which is home to some 1.2 billion people, half of whom don’t have access to electricity — a group equivalent to the entire population of the European Union. The problems in electrification are wide-ranging and vary from country to country: Absence of power-generating capacity, absence of technical expertise, and widespread corruption. There are plans, under the African Union, to rely largely on renewables by 2050 but only a handful of countries like South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia and Morocco have high renewable capacities presently. More Time, More Money In the Lagos office, a ding announces a power cut. But the lights quickly blink on again, as the solar system takes over. Big Cabal’s employees have settled into a routine with their complex mix of electricity sources. But it required much time and money. It’s that time and money that African leaders say the continent needs more of, in order to make a transition to renewable power. Renewable technologies are expensive in almost all regions, but, on top of those costs, African countries also face the expenses of industrializing, providing better health care and building food and education systems. However, getting world leaders to agree to keep funding oil and gas projects could prove difficult. In Glasgow, Britain and other rich countries have pledged to fund Africa with billions of dollars to increase warning systems, protect vulnerable communities in the Sahel, and, for coal-reliant South Africa, to help speed the transition to clean energy. But some are not enthusiastic about the new announcements. The same countries promised $100 billion annually in 2009 to developing countries, but those funds have been slow to come. The announcements are only a first step, said Lily Odarno of the Clean Air Task Force, a Washington nonprofit. Until the money arrives, she said, “it’s better to wait and see.” Meanwhile, the U.N.’s environmental agency says developing countries spend about $70 billion on adaptation costs — responding to floods and droughts, for example — annually. Sidelining Africa’s concerns could have consequences, analysts say. Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to see doubled population growth rates by 2050 and Nigeria will overtake the United States to become the second-most-populous country in the world. Africa also has the fastest urban growth rate in the world. By 2050, these populations are likely to be using up a lot of energy, whether it is clean or not. Some analysts argue that Africa’s leaders should, in fact, make faster progress on renewable energy, citing in particular the continent’s huge solar potential. Happy Khambule, a senior political adviser with Greenpeace Africa, said his organization rejected the calls to continue using fossil fuels on the continent and equated it with “burning up the house we all live in.” But overall, the message from African leaders at this month’s Glasgow climate talks is that the continent should be able to stick with some fossil fuels as part of the transition, considering the region’s economic and historic realities. “It will be a successful COP if the bulk of the action is done by countries outside the continent,” said Gwemende, of Open Society Foundation. “It will be successful if the moneys are dispensed by the big emitters. But our work should go beyond COP. There’s more work to do after.”

The world needs to quit oil and gas. Africa has an idea: Rich countries first.

Situation in Ethiopia is heating up as state media said on Friday that Ethiopian army had called on former army personnel to rejoin in order to fight Tigrayan forces advancing towards country's capital Addis Ababa. Nine anti-government factions have formed a new alliance with an aim of pushing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government out.

The anti-government alliance is called United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces and it includes forces of Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) which has been fighting against Ethiopia's federal forces. The 1-yearl-old conflict has killed thousands of people and forced more than two million out of their homes.

The federal army has appealed to former army personnel to rejoin setting the deadline of November 24.

In the past week, the government and local authorities have also told civilians in the capital to register their weapons and prepare to defend their neighburhoods.

African and Western nations have called for an immediate ceasefire

"We are considering establishing a transitional arrangement and we have agreed that the regime in power at this time must go as soon as possible," TPLF's Yohanees Abraha was quoted by Reuters as saying.

The nascent alliance was not in touch with Abiy's government but planned to begin liaising with foreign governments and bodies, he said.

Abiy's spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, asked for reaction to the formation of the alliance, referred Reuters to a comment she posted on Twitter in which she defended Abiy's rule since he took office in 2018.

She said in the post the opening of political space after Abiy took office provided ample opportunity for the opposition to settle differences at the ballot box. Abiy's party was re-elected in June. She did not refer directly to the new alliance.

Attorney General Gedion Temothewos called the alliance "a publicity stunt" and said some of the groups had a track record of "ethnic cleansing2.

TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda also did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.

CEASEFIRE CALLS

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday called for a ceasfire, saying: "The conflict in Ethiopia must come to an end."

The spokespeople for the Ethiopian government and the TPLF did not respond to requests for comment on Blinken's call. On Thursday, the government's communication department said in a statement: "This is not a Country that Crumbles under Foreign Propaganda! We are fighting an existential war!"

(With inputs from agencies)

Situation in Ethiopia is heating up as state media said on Friday that Ethiopian army had called on former army personnel to rejoin in order to fight Tigrayan forces advancing towards country's capital Addis Ababa.

Situation in Ethiopia is heating up as state media said on Friday that Ethiopian army had called on former army personnel to rejoin in order to fight Tigrayan forces advancing towards country's capital Addis Ababa. Nine anti-government factions have formed a new alliance with an aim of pushing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government out. The anti-government alliance is called United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces and it includes forces of Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) which has been fighting against Ethiopia's federal forces. The 1-yearl-old conflict has killed thousands of people and forced more than two million out of their homes. The federal army has appealed to former army personnel to rejoin setting the deadline of November 24. In the past week, the government and local authorities have also told civilians in the capital to register their weapons and prepare to defend their neighburhoods. African and Western nations have called for an immediate ceasefire "We are considering establishing a transitional arrangement and we have agreed that the regime in power at this time must go as soon as possible," TPLF's Yohanees Abraha was quoted by Reuters as saying. The nascent alliance was not in touch with Abiy's government but planned to begin liaising with foreign governments and bodies, he said. Abiy's spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, asked for reaction to the formation of the alliance, referred Reuters to a comment she posted on Twitter in which she defended Abiy's rule since he took office in 2018. She said in the post the opening of political space after Abiy took office provided ample opportunity for the opposition to settle differences at the ballot box. Abiy's party was re-elected in June. She did not refer directly to the new alliance. Attorney General Gedion Temothewos called the alliance "a publicity stunt" and said some of the groups had a track record of "ethnic cleansing2. TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda also did not respond to requests for comment on Friday. CEASEFIRE CALLS U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday called for a ceasfire, saying: "The conflict in Ethiopia must come to an end." The spokespeople for the Ethiopian government and the TPLF did not respond to requests for comment on Blinken's call. On Thursday, the government's communication department said in a statement: "This is not a Country that Crumbles under Foreign Propaganda! We are fighting an existential war!" (With inputs from agencies)

Ethiopian army calls on ex-servicemen to rejoin to fight opposing forces

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