As we wrap up the week, let’s take a quick look at the top stories from Africa. We saw South Sudan secure its spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while Gabon’s President Ali Bongo was freed from house arrest.

Meanwhile, a devastating accident claims over 100 lives as a boat overturns in Nigeria. Additionally, Nigeria’s Election Tribunal upholds President Bola Tinubu’s victory, shaping the nation’s political landscape.

Dive in below for a quick read on the full details of these top stories:

AFRICA’S PARTICIPATION IN RUGBY IS INCREASING AHEAD OF THE RUGBY WORLD CUP 2023

Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia are among the six emerging nations witnessing significant growth in rugby.

Participation in rugby has grown by 11% to 8.4 million in 2023, reflecting accelerated growth post-pandemic. Among these players, 57% are pre-teens, with 24% being girls, highlighting a strategic emphasis on increasing female involvement, making up almost a quarter of the total participants.

As such, World Rugby is investing £575 million in the sport’s development between 2020 and 2023.

• 46 million participants – (1.5m active non-registered, 5m participants and 1.9m active registered)
• Adult male and female active registered players grew by 26% and 38% respectively
• 57% of all players are pre-teen
• 24% of pre-teen participants are girls
• Almost a quarter of the total participants are female with a strategic focus on growth
• The number of clubs has increased by more than 30% globally
• Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia are three of the six emerging nations experiencing strong growth in rugby

SOUTH SUDAN QUALIFIES FOR 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS

Over the weekend, South Sudan’s men’s basketball team achieved a historic milestone by securing their spot in the 2024 Olympics.

The South Sudanese squad defeated Angola 101-78 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila.

South Sudan clinched their Olympic qualification as the top-performing African nation at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The 2024 Olympics begin next July in Paris.

NIGERIAN GEN Z ACCOUNTS FOR 55% OF TOTAL HIP-HOP STREAMS ON SPOTIFY

The Nigerian hip-hop consumer audience is on the rise, as young Nigerians, Gen Zs (18 to 24 year-olds) constitute 55% of total streams on the platform, according to new data by Spotify.

Meanwhile, listeners aged 25 to 29 contribute 19%, with the age groups 0 to 17 and 30 to 34 both holding a 9% share of hip-hop streams on Spotify.

The report highlights that among Nigerian hip-hop artists, Olamide, Odumodublvck, Blaqbonez, Zlatan, and Ice Prince are the most streamed.

GABON’S PRESIDENT ALI BONGO FREED FROM HOUSE ARREST

Gabon’s military leaders announced the release of deposed President Ali Bongo from house arrest, where he had been held since their takeover last week, following the contested election in which he had been declared the winner.

On Wednesday evening, in an announcement on state TV, military spokesperson Col Ulrich Manfoumbi stated that they released Mr. Bongo because of his health condition. In addition, he will be allowed to travel overseas for medical care.

BOLT TO INJECT R13 MILLION IN KENYA FOR ELECTRIC-POWERED VEHICLES

Taxi-hailing firm Bolt is set to invest a minimum of Ksh100 million (around R13 million) in Kenya for electric-powered vehicles. Presently, the company employs 40 electricity-powered bicycles (e-bikes) for deliveries in Nairobi.

DRC LIFTS VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR KENYAN CITIZENS

Kenyan travelers will no longer require visas to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Directorate General of Migration in the DRC officially announced the removal of visa requirements for Kenyan travelers, effective from September 1, 2023. This change aligns with the East African Community’s regulations on free movement among member states, moving Kenya from category 2 to category 1 for visa requirements in the DRC.

Meanwhile, Kenya is exploring the possibility of scrapping visa requirements for visitors, as President William Ruto highlighted his commitment to a united Africa during the Africa Climate Summit at KICC, Nairobi, on September 4.

DAVIDO REACTS AS ELECTION TRIBUNAL UPHOLDS PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU’S WIN

Nigerian star Davido reacted to the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) in Abuja on Wednesday.

The Afrobeats star said most elections in Nigeria are won by the most “rugged” candidates. He shared his views on Nigeria’s election system on the X page (formerly Twitter), saying, “Nigeria Election nah by who rugged pass (meaning Nigerian elections are won by most rugged politicians).

This was after the announcement made by the Election Tribunal, declaring that President Bola Tinubu lawfully defeated his main challengers, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 2023 disputed elections.

Nigeria Election nah by who rugged pass

— Davido (@davido) September 6, 2023

BURNA BOY TO BE FEATURED ON THE NBA 2K24 SOUNDTRACK

2K has unveiled the NBA 2K24 soundtrack, packed with over 50 talented artists, and Burna Boy is among the artists you’ll be jamming to when playing this game.

The NBA 2K24 soundtrack list is available for listening in-game and on Spotify (the list is not yet final), it will be regularly updated every Friday.

Burna Boy is featured alongside heavyweights such as Ice Spice, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Blxst, Roddy Ricch, and Kodak Black, to mention a few.

$1 BILLION FUND AIMED AT EXPEDITING CLIMATE FINANCING FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IN AFRICA

Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), has unveiled a groundbreaking $1 billion fund aimed at expediting climate financing for young entrepreneurs in Africa.

This added funding will enhance YouthAdapt, a collaborative effort between the African Development Bank and the Global Centre on Adaptation. It encourages African youth entrepreneurs and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises to propose inventive solutions and business concepts capable of bolstering climate change adaptation and resilience continent-wide.

YouthADAPT is an annual competition that invites young entrepreneurs and micro, small, and medium enterprises in Africa to submit innovative solutions and business ideas that have the potential to drive climate change adaptation and resilience across the continent. The commercially viable business or product must not be in widespread use. The 20 winners are each awarded $100,000 and receive training, mentorship and coaching to support their climate change adaptation innovation in their communities and across Africa.

In the last two years, YouthAdapt has disbursed over $1.5 million to support 33 young entrepreneurs spanning 19 African nations, with some experiencing a remarkable 200% increase in their profits.

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE INJECTS £15 MILLION FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN KENYA, NIGERIA, AND GHANA

A £15 million budget from Official Development Assistance (ODA) is set aside to back healthcare workers in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana.

The funding will enhance staff skills, boost health outcomes, and improve administration, data collection, training, and retention opportunities.

Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana were chosen for the ODA award due to their evident need for workforce support, reflected in high mortality rates, low staff numbers, and unemployment among trained health workers.

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