Senegal has updated its GDP calculation, revealing a stronger economic picture and improved debt metrics amid scrutiny over previously unreported liabilities. The National Agency for Statistics and Demography revised the base year from 2014 to 2021, raising GDP by 13.5% to approximately $30 billion and reducing the public debt ratio from 90.8% to 80% for 2021. The recalculation accounts for emerging sectors such as digital finance, oil and gas, and cashew production, providing a more accurate picture of economic activity. The move follows a credit rating downgrade by S&P Global, which had flagged Senegal’s debt-to-GDP ratio nearing 120%. The update aims…
Author: Montage Africa
Daniel Etim Effiong has been waiting to tell a story like this. While he is primarily known for his extensive work as an actor, Effiong has always found himself itching to extend his interest in filmmaking and to tell a story with resonance and heart. A story like his debut feature, The Herd. Directed by Effiong, The Herd is a gripping thriller that follows the kidnapping of a group of people by herdsmen. The gripping narrative intelligently engages with Nigeria’s festering insecurity problem. The Herd first made its cinema release on October 17 to a modest reception, but it wasn’t until its latest release on Netflix last week…
By Africanews West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS suspended Guinea-Bissau’s membership hours after an army general was sworn in as the country’s president. The decision was reached at a virtual session of ECOWAS’ Mediation and Security Council (MSC) chaired by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio on Thursday night. The meeting included leaders from Cabo Verde, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Benin among others. It condemned the army takeover as an ‘illegal abortion of the democratic process’ seeking to subvert popular will. The coup happened as Guinea-Bissau counted votes after a high-stakes presidential election. The African Union has condemned the coup…
By Rédaction Africanews Guinea-Bissau has plunged further into political turmoil after a disputed presidential election was swiftly followed by a controversial coup. Opposition leaders question the legitimacy of the takeover, pointing to the actions of ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. Analysts say the military coup, believed to be orchestrated by high-ranking officials just three days after the elections, marks the fourth in the country since independence from Portugal in 1974. Attempts to link the coup to foreign actors have been largely dismissed by experts, who cite Guinea-Bissau’s legacy of weak institutions. Beverly Ochieng, analyst at Control Risks, says:“Opposition and civil…
All 24 schoolgirls abducted last week from a secondary school in Kebbi state, northwestern Nigeria, have been rescued, President Bola Tinubu announced. Of the 25 girls abducted on November 17, one escaped immediately, while the remaining 24 have now been freed, though authorities have not disclosed details of the rescue. Families expressed relief over the development, with parents eagerly awaiting news of their daughters’ well-being. The incident comes amid a surge in mass abductions, including the recent kidnapping of over 300 students and staff from a Catholic school in Niger state, from which 50 escaped. Analysts attribute these crimes to armed…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP Military officials in Guinea-Bissau on Thursday named a general as the country’s transitional president. Horta Inta-A’s inauguration came a day after soldiers toppled the civilian leadership in a swift power grab ahead of the announcement of the weekend’s election results. In a statement, he justified taking control of the country saying it faced threats to its stability from politicians and drug barons, without providing any details. The military government will oversee a one-year transition period starting from Thursday, it said in a declaration broadcast on state television. “Created in response to the events of November…
Let’s get something clear: no Afropop act outdid Olamide in the 2010s, and even fewer can claim to match the sheer weight of his cultural influence. By all metrics, the 36-year-old musician reigned supreme over the sonic zeitgeist of the last decade, musically encapsulating, more than anyone, Nigerian music’s trudge from fascination with Western-tinged music to the mass appeal of afrobeats. Rising from Bariga, Baddo first punctured mainstream consciousness with his belligerent bars that positioned him as an upstart with a point to prove before going on to hold the gaze of a generation with anthemic offerings that distilled conceptual narratives on…
By Africanews Algerian outfit JS Kabylie and their Tanzanian counterparts Young Africans finalised their preparations ahead to their CAF Champions League Group B encounter on Friday. JS Kabylie will be looking to bounce back following a 4-1 defeat in their group opener against Egyptian giants Al Ahly. Young Africans, on the other hand, come into this match brimming with confidence. The Tanzanians have already secured a victory in this Champions League campaign, defeating Morocco’s Rabat 1-0. FIXTURES Friday, November 28 JS Kabylie (Alg) v Young Africans (Tan) Rivers United (Nga) v Berkane (Mar) FAR Rabat (Mar) v Al Ahly (Egy)…
By Africanews with AP Hong Kong firefighters found dozens more bodies Friday during an intensive apartment-by-apartment search of a high-rise tower complex, after a massive fire engulfed seven of its eight buildings. The death toll in one of the city’s deadliest blazes is now at least 128. Crews prioritized apartments from which they received more than two dozen calls for assistance during the blaze but were unable to reach, Derek Armstrong Chan, a deputy director of Hong Kong Fire Services, told reporters. The toll was increased by 34 after more bodies were found in the blackened towers, and Secretary for…
In the Kanem province of Chad, the ancient oases that have sustained life for millennia are facing a severe threat from climate change. As one of the world’s hottest countries, Chad is experiencing temperatures that are rising nearly twice the global average. This intensifying heat, coupled with powerful winds, is pushing massive sand dunes ever closer to vital water sources such as the Kaou oasis. These rolling sands threaten to engulf the remaining palm trees and vegetable gardens that hundreds of families depend on for survival. In a determined effort to preserve their land, local communities, with initial support from NGOs,…