ADF

CHARITY CHIMUNGU PHIRI/INTER PRESS SERVICE For the first time, many Malawians living in rural areas are able to easily access the internet. It was the work of C3, a communication services provider and the first commercial entity to deploy nationwide TV White Spaces (TVWS) for a nine-month trial. Only 6.5 percent of Malawians are connected to the internet. To reach rural populations, C3 built TVWS. The new network relies on unused frequencies in the television spectrum, and there are plans to extend it nationwide. Service is distributed to communities, and people access the network via Wi-Fi. “It’s a cheap and…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Zambia has ordered the national Air Force into action to fight pests that have invaded maize crops and threatened vital food supplies. The Air Force is transporting pesticides across the country so that fields can be sprayed to combat infestations of armyworms, a type of moth larvae that can decimate crops. “The Zambia Air Force has since begun to airlift chemicals,” President Edward Lungu’s spokesman said. “The president has directed that the chemicals that were purchased under emergency operations should be distributed to all parts of the country.” Julius Shawa, permanent secretary of the Agriculture Ministry, told reporters…

Story and photo by JUSTUS WANZALA/INTER PRESS SERVICE Faced with growing degradation that is swallowing large swaths of land in arid and semiarid areas, Kenya is working to stop the encroachment of the desert and add trees suited to the climate. Kenya launched a program in September 2016 targeting 5.1 million hectares of degraded and deforested land for restoration by 2030, said Charles Sunkuli, secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. He added that Kenya is increasing its forest cover from 7 percent to a maximum of 10 percent. “We have introduced an equalization fund to help communities…

VOICE OF AMERICA Côte d’Ivoire adopted a new Constitution, with hopes it will support the nation’s emergence as one of Africa’s rising economic stars after years of violent upheaval. In October 2016, voters overwhelmingly endorsed the new charter, with 93 percent of ballots cast for “Yes” out of an official turnout of just more than 42 percent. The new Constitution was one of President Alassane Ouattara’s campaign promises during his re-election bid in 2015. It marks the third Constitution adopted by Côte d’Ivoire since independence in 1960, creating the country’s Third Republic. “The promises of the Third Republic are the…

ADF STAFF Habib Bourguiba was Tunisia’s first president and remains a towering figure in the country’s history. But like so many great leaders throughout world history, Bourguiba’s desire to stay in office led to his downfall. Wearing his trademark red fez, he was a flamboyant and shrewd politician who chose to outmaneuver his adversaries and critics, rather than bully them. He proved to be uniquely adapted to the Tunisian politics of his time. Bourguiba was born in 1903, the son of a civil servant and the youngest of eight children. When he was a young adult, one of his brothers…

The alkaline water in this lake is so caustic it can burn animals that have not adapted to it. More than 2 million lesser flamingos build nests here on small islands. The lake’s temperature can reach 41 degrees Celsius. This alkaline lake is one of two in the region, and it doesn’t drain into a sea or river. ANSWER: Lake Natron, Tanzania

U.S. Africa Command Staff Diminished but dangerous. That’s the current state of the extremist group al-Shabaab. Whereas it once controlled more than half of Somalia’s territory and a population of about 5 million people, today its members are on the run and control only about 11 percent of the country. The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali National Army forces have fought and sacrificed greatly to push the group from its strongholds. Al-Shabaab’s key moneymaking locations, including the Port of Kismayo and the Bakara Market in Mogadishu, are back under government control. Life in the capital city…

Today is a truly historic day for Somalia, its resilient people, and all our brotherly neighbors and valuable partners. To you all, I say Somalia and Somalis have turned a new leaf, and we are writing a new chapter in our history. This chapter is characterized by hope, inclusive governance and development in all its forms. Somalia is a proud founding member state of IGAD, and it is therefore a source of enormous pride that we are finally hosting our first Heads of State and Government summit in Somalia.  Somalia, with the support of its African brothers, is successfully fighting…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Nintendo’s hit mobile game Pokémon Go may be best suited for tree-lined neighborhoods and public parks, but many in busy Lagos, Nigeria, are braving big-city chaos to play. “Here it’s like Mad Max,” said Timi Ajiboye, a 23-year-old software developer. “You’ve gotta be sharp or else there will be some injuries.” “Sometimes it’s just not safe to bring out your phone,” added Ajiboye’s younger brother, Tade. “If you do, thieves will come at you like flies.” Still, Nigeria has its advantages for game players. “There’s so much rare Pokémon here because it’s not a mainstream country,” said the…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Patience Kum strides across the training pitch of the Right to Dream (RtD) Academy, a football center of excellence nestled in the Ghanaian countryside, and welcomes visitors with an assured handshake. The 14-year-old managed to convince her mother she should go to the school 100 kilometers east of the capital, Accra, because it teaches more than football. “My mother didn’t want me to come to the academy because girls aren’t thought to play football, but the teachers explained to her that RtD is a good opportunity to get a good education,” she said. At RtD, all 93 students,…