ADF

As East Africa has endured one of the worst locust invasions in 70 years, a Kenyan company is fighting back — by treating the voracious insects as a cash crop. The infestation began in Kenya in late 2019 after a series of unusual weather patterns. The swarm soon began spreading east, into Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen. A single swarm can contain up to 80 million locusts and can travel up to 150 kilometers in one day, depending on the wind.  As of early 2021, exterminators were getting the locusts under control. But a startup company called The Bug Picture also…

ADF STAFF The African Union has launched a website to monitor threats against journalists to protect them and support a free press. The International Federation of Journalists reports that six African journalists were killed in 2020. Many more were threatened, arrested and censored, according to multiple media freedom and human rights groups. The AU website will employ journalism’s most critical tool: facts. The journalists’ safety platform is planned to enable real-time response across Africa, to end impunity for attacks on journalists including harassment, arbitrary arrests, assault and killing. It also will serve as a database to keep track of attacks…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE The Nigerian government has approved the creation of a company to fast-track development of critical infrastructure, with $2.6 billion in initial financing. In 2020, Africa’s most-populous country slipped into recession in its third quarter for the second time in four years, hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and a fall in oil prices. It faces a huge infrastructure deficit. The company, Infra-Co, will be one of the top infrastructure finance entities in Africa and will be wholly dedicated to Nigeria’s infrastructure development, officials said. “It is envisaged that, over time, the entity will grow to naira 15 trillion ($39.3 billion) in assets…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Twitter announced plans to hire 11 people and open an office in Ghana, the company’s first in Africa. The social media giant joins Facebook and other tech companies moving into Africa, where founder Jack Dorsey spent a month in 2019. “Africa will define the future,” Dorsey said at the time, after visiting Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.  The jobs advertised in Ghana include positions for engineering, marketing and communications specialists. The company hailed Ghana as a “champion for democracy” and as a supporter of free speech, online freedom and the “open internet.”  “Today, in line with our…

ADF STAFF For a time, skirmishes between rival Nguni tribes in what is now South Africa were all bluster and no battle. Opposing fighters would stand 35 to 45 meters apart, each armed with an assegai, a 1.8-meter spear, and a tall shield called an isihlangu. The warriors would throw the spears at each other, but because of the distance and the arc of the tosses, the spears were easily dodged. The “fighting” generally ended when both sides had thrown all of their spears, with no one injured. Shaka Zulu of the Zulu tribe of the Nguni found the ceremonial…

CLUES Arabian legend says these trees look peculiar because the devil pulled one up and plunged its branches into the earth, leaving its roots exposed. This tree-lined dirt road is one of this country’s most popular tourist sites. The endangered tree species is further threatened as farmers expand their rice paddies. The trees, which can live up to 3,000 years and grow 30 meters tall, also have spiritual significance to locals. ANSWER  Alley of the Baobabs, Madagascar

ADF STAFF Failing to regulate large fishing fleets puts small-scale fisheries in Africa at risk, according to research by the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Distant-water fishing fleets (DWF) from other nations catch far more fish than Africa’s artisanal fishermen and are a much greater threat to fish stocks, the report found. This is especially true when industrial vessels catch fish illicitly through bottom trawling, fishing with explosives, and using prohibited nets and other gear. Closed fishing seasons and fishing arrangements made with other countries lead to fisheries governance challenges, dwindling fish stocks and a rise in sea crimes,…

ADF STAFF With unprecedented access to the levers of governmental power, Russia’s recent activities in the Central African Republic (CAR) show its intention to spread influence in a conflict-torn country. CAR has been embroiled in civil war since 2012, when an estimated three-fourths of the country was in rebel hands. With a president facing a 2020 election delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities abounded for Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries to make a power play. “They are cheap and come as part of a package of regime-support services, including political technologies,” Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russian security affairs, said of…

ADF STAFF When protests in South Africa boiled over into violence and looting in July, much of the energy driving the violence came from social media. Across the continent, social media has become a mechanism for amplifying already heightened emotions, from the ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia to political protests in Eswatini to extremist propaganda across the Sahel. It also has become a vehicle for false information about the COVID-19 pandemic and public health efforts to control it. In response to many of these situations, leaders across Africa have hit the “off” switch on their nations’ internet systems, a decision that…

ADF STAFF Niger improved its capacity for national defense earlier this month when it added another C-130 Hercules aircraft from the United States during a handover ceremony at Air Base 101 in the capital, Niamey. The aircraft is part of Niger’s effort to modernize its Air Force and confront extremist groups operating in the northern parts of the country. Niger returned its first C-130H to service in January after repairs and refurbishment by the United States. A third C-130H is expected in 2022. “Niger, in its fight against armed terrorist groups, benefits at different levels from the expertise and assistance…