Rwanda Election results: Paul Kagame wins Rwanda presidential vote in landslide victory extending his current 24-year rule for an additional five years. Partial results indicate that the incumbent president has won 99% of the vote, with 79% of ballots counted from Monday’s election indicating that his status as a national hero still holds sway with te Rwandan people.
Kenyan Protests Flare up again: Reports indicate that at least one protestor was killed in Kitengela as protestors took to the streets across the country. Widespread protests have been occurring for weeks and President William Ruto is under pressure to resign after he scrapped the new tax bill and fired his entire cabinet. Police were deployed and were using water cannons and tear gas and videos indicate they also fired at crowds in an attempt to crack down on the protests. Several protestors were arrested.
Ivory Coast Receives Malaria Vaccine: Created by the Jenner Institute of Oxford University and developed by Serum Institute of India, the new cost effective vaccine, has been hailed as a turning point in the fight against malaria. Sir Adrian Hill, professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford has told reporters that Hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved this decade due to a new malaria vaccine. Hill said he hoped the new R21/Matrix-M would pave the way for a “really serious” attempt at eradicating the disease. The first doses of the vaccine were rolled out in the Ivory Coast this week. It is the first malaria vaccine to meet the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) target of a 75% efficacy level.
Ugandan GDP Forecast Downward: The Ministry of finance issued a statement reducing its economic growth forecast to between 6% and 6.5% in the 2024 – 2025 financial year No specific reason was given for the reduction in the forecast. This was a downward projection following their initial forecast of between 6.4% and 7% that the ministry provided in June 2024.
Ethiopia in Currency Deal with UAE: In a move to reduce dollar based transactions, the central banks of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ethiopia have signed a bilateral currency swap agreement with a value of up to 3 billion dirhams ($816.79 million).
The two central banks have agreed on a framework for the use of local currencies to be utilised in settling future cross-border transactions. Ethiopia’s main exports to the UAE are gold, coffee and meat while imports from the UAE include Medical good and medication, petroleum, jewellery and IT related hardware.
Nigerian, Binance Trial Postponed: The high court in Abuja adjourned the ongoing tax evasion and money laundering trial against cryptocurrency exchange Binance and two of its executives to 11 Oct 2024. The two Binance executives, Tigran Gambaryan, who arrived at court in a wheelchair this week, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s regional manager for Africa, have been charged with laundering more than $35 million and engaging in financial activities without a licence.
Sudan Hunger Crisis: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has indicated that more than 10 million Sudanese, or around 20% of the population, have been left homeless and in extreme poverty since the civil war began there in April 2024. The war has left half the population of about 50 million people, facing a hunger crisis and in dire need of humanitarian aid.
