The Government of the Republic of Gambia has disclosed its intention to undertake a study tour of Nigeria’s foremost intervention agency, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). The Gambia’s Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Hon. Prof. Pierre Gomez led a delegation to the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono at the Fund’s Headquarters in Abuja. Speaking during the visit, the Gambian Minister stated that the purpose of the visit was to inform the Executive Secretary about the establishment of Gambia’s Tertiary and Higher Education Trust Fund ( THET Fund), a replica of Nigeria’s TETFund and to…
Author: Montage Africa
South African police have launched an investigation after 14 suspected illegal miners died when a mine dump site collapsed on them on Monday night. Eight others were injured and “an unknown number… may still be trapped underground”, police said in a statement. The site was being legally operated by a mining company and it is unclear how the miners, most of whom are believed to be from neighbouring Lesotho, gained access. Illegal mining is rife in South Africa as miners, known in South Africa as “zama zamas” (“those who try their luck” in Zulu), try to eke out a living…
By Agencies Zambians head to the polls on Thursday in the country’s eighth general election since the return to multiparty democracy in 1991, with the economy emerging as the defining issue for voters. President Hakainde Hichilema and his governing United Party for National Development are seeking another five-year term, arguing more time is needed to complete economic reforms after inheriting nearly 19 billion dollars in foreign debt. But many Zambians say they have yet to see meaningful improvements in their daily lives, with unemployment—particularly among young people—remaining high. Political analyst Leah Mitiba says the outcome remains difficult to predict. Leah…
By Dominic Wabwireh with AP President Donald Trump secretly switched from Air Force One to a smaller military aircraft after last month’s NATO summit in Ankara, according to The Washington Post, in an elaborate security operation reportedly prompted by an Iranian threat against him. Trump was publicly seen boarding an older-model Air Force One at Ankara airport after the NATO summit, leading journalists and some White House staff to believe he would fly aboard the presidential jet to Britain. But according to the Post, Trump was secretly transferred minutes later to a smaller Air Force C-32A. The newspaper reported that…
By Dominic Wabwireh with AFP A bitter cold snap is sweeping across South Africa, bringing heavy snow, freezing temperatures and strong winds to several provinces. Snow has covered high-lying areas while forecasters warn of more wintry weather and rough seas along the coast. Snow has fallen across high-lying parts of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State, while mountain peaks in the Western Cape have also turned white. The snowfall has created striking winter scenes across the country, with snow-covered landscapes contrasting with the milder conditions South Africa typically experiences during winter. Further snowfall remains possible, particularly over mountainous areas…
Libyan emergency services have been battling to contain a huge blaze at a major oil plant after it was targeted by unknown attackers. The Zawiya refinery, west of the capital Tripoli, was hit in a drone strike on Monday evening – the third such incident in two days. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) said a tank containing about 4.5m litres of fuel was directly hit, triggering a huge fire that caused it to collapse. It said it was considering suspending operations if the attacks continued. There were no “serious injuries” from the fire, with most patients treated for smoke inhalation,…
By Dominic Wabwireh with AFP Tigray rebel authorities have accused Ethiopia’s federal government of carrying out deadly drone strikes in the region, raising fears of a renewed conflict nearly four years after a peace deal ended a devastating two-year war. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front said Tuesday that Ethiopian government forces carried out a drone strike Monday in Merewa, in southern Tigray near the border with the Amhara region. Amanuel Assefa, a TPLF official, told AFP that the strike was carried out by the Ethiopian government. In a statement, the TPLF said the strikes targeted Tigrayan troops and caused casualties,…
By Rédaction Africanews The trial of Malian commentator Youssouf Bathily, known as Ras Bath, and activist Rose opened on August 10 before the Bamako Court of Appeal, with both denying accusations of criminal association and undermining state institutions. The first hearing focused largely on audio recordings presented by prosecutors as evidence. Ras Bath, who has been in provisional detention for nearly three years, rejected the charges against him. When asked in court whether he admitted to the accusations, he answered “No” and remained composed throughout the hearing. Meanwhile, Rose told the court that her social media posts and public remarks…
By Rédaction Africanews A rockfall at an illegal mine northwest of Johannesburg killed 14 clandestine miners, most of them from Lesotho, with several hurt and others possibly still stuck underground, police said Tuesday. Thousands of unregistered miners known as “zama zamas” operate in South Africa, scavenging abandoned mines for gold and other minerals in arduous and often perilous conditions. “Fourteen illegal miners, mostly Basothos, died during a rockfall,” police spokeswoman Colonel Adele Myburgh said. “Eight others were hospitalised and an unknown number of illegal miners are currently possibly stuck under the ground. Police are on the scene, and the scene…
A spectre is hanging over the Zambian election campaign in the shape of former President Edgar Lungu. Despite having died more than a year ago in South Africa, his body remains unburied amid a bitter dispute between President Hakainde Hichilema and the Lungu family that has sharpened political divisions. This has had a role in energising support for the opposition National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP), particularly in the northern half of the country, traditional strongholds of Lungu’s Patriotic Front (PF), as people see it as offering the best chance to unseat the incumbent. Meanwhile, it has complicated…