Cases so far have “mainly but not exclusively been identified amongst men who have sex with men,” according to WHO. This new revelation is against known medical knowledge of the disease because the WHO considers monkeypox not to be a sexually transmitted infection.

In a recent media briefing, Dr John Brooks, an epidemiologist with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explained that “…monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection in the typical sense, but it can be transmitted during sexual and intimate contact.”

From there onwards, the disease has continued to spread, as of May 21st the WHO has reported some 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected ones. In the wake of this outbreak in the UK, other cases have been reported in Spain and Portugal and several other European countries.…

Despite the international emphasis on migration to Europe, more than 80 per cent of African migration occurs within Africa, both intra-regionally (primarily within West, East, and southern African regions) and inter-regionally (from West Africa to Southern Africa, from East/Horn of Africa to Southern Africa, and from Central Africa to Southern Africa and West Africa).

Most immigrants are migratory workers who work either formally or informally in their destination countries. As a result, immigration plays an important role in the economic development of destination countries. However, a number of low- and middle-income countries lack evidence and awareness of how immigrants might contribute to various sectors of the economy, and very few have designed and implemented relevant policy frameworks.

Many destination nations are unable to capitalise on immigration due to a strong informal sector, insufficient labour migration management capacity, and a lack of aggressive labour market regulations.…

• African Development Fund has approved $5.5 million technical assistance grant to support projects Eastern Sahel region countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan
• The East Africa Regional Energy Project will be financed through the ADF-15 Regional Public Good window of the African Development Fund, the concessional arm of the African Development Bank Group
• It will develop technical studies for regional solar parks and associated battery storage near regional energy inter-connectors, high-voltage cables that connect the electricity systems of neighbouring countries

The African Development Fund has approved a $5.5 million technical assistance grant to begin the roll-out of the flagship Desert to Power initiative in the Eastern Sahel region countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan.

Dubbed the East Africa Regional Energy Project, it will be financed through the ADF-15 Regional Public Good window of the African Development Fund, the concessional arm of the African Development Bank Group.

The project will …

• Africa is the second driest continent in the world after Australia and millions of Africans lack access to clean water, while still perennially suffering from shortages
• Africa loses 5% of its GDP every year due to water scarcity, with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region experiencing the greatest economic loss from climate-related water scarcity
• The theme for the recently passed World Water Day celebrated annually on March 22nd was ‘Ground water-Making the Invisible Visible’.

Africa is endowed with abundant natural water resources, being home to large freshwater bodies revitalizing the continent in a myriad of ways, spurring various social and economic initiatives. However, in stark irony, Africa is the second driest continent in the world after Australia, and millions of Africans lack access to clean water, while still perennially suffering from shortages. This has remained among the long-standing wounds ailing the continent, which need to be urgently remedied.…

• The Congo Basin spans six countries which include the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo
• 700 species of fish, 1300 birds, 900 butterflies, 300 reptiles and over 400 other mammals inhabit the Congo rainforest
• The Basin also provides fresh water, food and shelter to more than 90 million people who live in the region and are dependent on the rainforest for their livelihood

‘Forests and Sustainable Production and Protection’, was the theme for the recently passed 2022 International Forests Day, and could not have been timelier in light of the climate change crisis; spelt by the myriad natural disasters experienced globally. Forests make for a natural arsenal to combat the climate change crisis, whose deleterious manifestations have hitherto left no African nation unscathed.

Since its proclamation by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2012, the International Day of Forests has been instrumental in not only …

• Cocoa is a signature cash-crop for Ivory Coast
• US Department of Agriculture slated to invest $61 million in Ivory Coast cashew nut
• Ivory Coast economy is forecasted to expand by 6.7 percent in 2022

Ivory Coast is one of Africa’s largest farms.  More than 60 per cent of the national territory is dedicated as arable agricultural land. Ivory Coast is one of the largest economies in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, and agriculture is its backbone.  Cocoa production is the blood pumping through the economic veins of the Ivory Coast. The West African nation is not only the largest producer of Cocoa in the region but globally (contributing around 30 per cent).  

In 2020/2021, Ivory Coast produced 2.15 million metric tonnes of cocoa beans. In Ivory Coast, the share of agriculture to the economy stood at 21.39 per cent in 2020.     

The West African nation of more …