African News
Kigali — “Hope is the heart of our lives,” under this motto, the Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) (see Fides, 1/8/2025) urges the continent’s faithful not to give up hope despite the current difficulties. In their message at the end of the assembly, which concluded yesterday,…
Efforts are getting underway in Geneva to finalize a global agreement to tackle the staggering and growing amount of plastic waste and its impact on human health, marine life and the economy. Unless an international accord is inked, plastic waste is projected to triple by 2060, causing significant damage – including to our health –…
Debating Ideas reflects the values and editorial ethos of the African Arguments book series, publishing engaged, often radical, scholarship, original and activist writing from within the African continent and beyond. It offers debates and engagements, contexts and controversies, and reviews and responses flowing from the African Arguments books. It is edited and managed by the…
SAN Francisco, California / Apex, North Carolina, Us — There is no question that most climate activists and governments were delighted when Brazil offered to host the 2025 UN Climate Conference taking place this November. Brazil has played such a crucial role in shaping the sustainable development agenda. It hosted the 1992 Rio Earth Summit,…
Steep cuts in US government funding have thrown much of the field of global health into a state of fear and uncertainty. Once a crown jewel of US foreign policy, valued at some US$12 billion a year, global health has been relegated to a corner of a restructured State Department governed by an “America First”…
The rise in vaccine-preventable diseases around the world is threatening decades of progress in public health and putting millions of people at risk. The decline in vaccination coverage in the United States illustrates the global problem. Rates of most routine vaccinations recommended for children by age 24 months by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices,…
Addis Ababa — Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ethiopia welcomed the appointment of Girma Amente as the African Union Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and World Trade Organization in Geneva. The Ministry said in a statement today that Ethiopia appreciates the decision of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssef to…
Washington, DC — Every four years, a new U.S. administration brings with it a reshuffling of global priorities. Africa is often included in that process but rarely centered. While high-level visits, peace deals, and trade agreements may signal renewed attention, sustained engagement is frequently undermined by shifts in leadership, budgets, and institutional agendas. Today, the…
Africa, the world’s second-largest gold-producing region after China, is witnessing a surge in gold mining investment in 2025, fueled by strong global demand, favourable prices, and vast untapped reserves attracting increased international interest. So far, billions of dollars in investments have been announced in recent months highlighting a growing momentum, according to experts at Energy,…
New York — As the world’s youngest and fastest-growing nations, LLDCs are home to immense untapped potential, yet remain cut off from the currents of international commerce and opportunity. Imagine being surrounded by opportunity, yet separated from it by mountains, borders, and vast distances from the nearest port–this is the daily reality for the world’s…
