ADF

REUTERS In a flowing hijab, Karima M. Imam walks through her fields in northern Nigeria’s scrubland as workers harvest ginger, a gnarled brown root that has turned gold since COVID-19 struck. “If I had the capital, I’d plant more. People are looking for ginger now, and there is not enough,” she said at her 5-hectare farm on the outskirts of Kaduna. As the pandemic rages, people around the world have sought to guard against illness by turning to so-called healthy halo foods. Although scientists have dismissed many claims on social media about how superfoods can fend off the virus, their…

ADF STAFF The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is taking the lead on development projects designed to get the country’s economy moving after COVID-19. Projects include operating a meat production facility and rehabilitating a railway and port. Although these are not traditional military tasks, civilian and military leaders say the country needs the KDF’s manpower and expertise. “Security and development are intrinsically related. They are two sides of the same coin,” Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces Gen. Robert Kibochi told the Kenyan Broadcasting Corp. In September 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta gave the KDF the authority to begin running the Kenya…

ADF STAFF The Global Wind Energy Council says Africa has world-class wind power potential, which, if properly exploited, could meet the continent’s energy demands and easily replace any jobs lost as consumers shift away from fossil fuels. The council says Africa has tapped into only 0.01% of its wind energy potential, The Southern Times reported. A council report noted that 27 African countries have enough wind potential of their own to satisfy the entire continent’s needs. “Algeria has the highest resource with a total potential of 7,700 gigawatts, equivalent to over 11 times current global installed wind capacity,” the newspaper…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE The World Bank has announced that it will invest $2 billion to support medium and small businesses in Africa and boost trade as the region recovers from the COVID-19 downturn. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the bank’s development arm focused on private-sector development in emerging markets, will invest $1 billion in direct financing for businesses and another $1 billion in support of international trade finance. The combined $2 billion package is “among the IFC’s largest ever commitments to specific initiatives in Africa,” the corporation said, adding that COVID-19 “plunged the region into recession, reduced foreign direct investment flows…

ADF STAFF Asli Hassan Abade made history as the first female air force pilot in Africa. She is a product of a unique time in her native Somalia’s history. After Somalia became an independent country in 1960, its military branches grew in strength and skill. At one point, the Somali Air Force had the greatest airstrike capability in the Horn of Africa. Asli was born in 1958, one of nine siblings. Her family lived on an air force base, and she could see the runway from her home. “I saw planes take off and land at the airport. That is…

CLUES This place also is known as Mij Mkongwe, which is Swahili for “Old Town.” The old Swahili trading town includes Arab, European and Indian influences but also retains its Indigenous characteristics. Darjani Bazaar is at the center of this town’s commerce area, where food, spices and crafts are sold. Many buildings here are made of coralline ragstone and mangrove timber and set with lime mortar. ANSWER  Stone Town of Zanzibar, Tanzania

ADF STAFF Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by foreign trawlers has robbed African nations of food and income for decades, but besides leading to increased piracy and other maritime crimes, experts also say IUU fishing also threatens Africa’s “blue economy.” The World Bank defines blue economy as “the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.” The African Union characterizes the blue economy as the “new frontier of the African Renaissance,” as 90% of the region’s trade is conducted by sea. Yet many African nations struggle to earn revenue from their…

ADF STAFF Since Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries arrived in Mali, civilians have been increasingly caught in their crosshairs. After hundreds of Wagner Group fighters deployed in Mali purportedly as “trainers” and “advisors” in December 2021, at least 71 Malian people were killed by government-aligned security forces, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). “There has been a dramatic spike in the number of civilians, including suspects, killed by the Malian army and armed Islamist groups,” HRW West Africa Director Corinne Dufka said in a statement. “This complete disregard for human life, which includes apparent war crimes, should be…

ADF STAFF In a West African region known for the proliferation of violent extremist organizations, Mauritania stands out for its lack of terror attacks in recent years. Experts and observers say much can be learned from the approach that Mauritanian authorities take with radical Islamist leaders: They include them in an ongoing dialogue. “The Islamic Republic of Mauritania adopted an integrated and comprehensive approach to deal with it [terrorism], which was not limited to military and development dimensions but also encompassed the ideological dimension at the center of the general structure of this phenomenon,” President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani said in…

ADF STAFF Violent clashes between Russian mercenaries and civilians near gold mines in the Central African Republic (CAR) have been commonplace for years. Following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s thirst for African gold appears even greater, and the death toll is rising. “Sanctions on Russia are triggering its push for gold,” journalist Philip Obaji Jr. told ADF. “Even though Russia could find it difficult to sell its gold stash as a result of the sanctions, there’s still the physical market, where tracing can be difficult. It’s filled with loopholes, which they can exploit.” Russian mercenaries killed hundreds of civilians in…