As we wrap up the week, here are the top stories from Africa. Sierra Leone declares a national emergency following a surge in the use of the lethal synthetic drug, kush. Nigerian comedy icon, Mr. Ibu, is set to be laid to rest in June, nearly four months after his passing.
Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and South Africa recall Johnson & Johnson cough syrup due to safety concerns. Meanwhile, Eskom achieves nearly a month without load shedding, marking a significant milestone in South Africa’s power supply stability.
Check out all the top stories below:
GHANA LGBTQ COURT RULING TO BE HEARD THIS MONTH
The LGBT community in Ghana is anticipating the president’s decision on a bill that could limit their rights.
A lawmaker’s petition awaits the High Court’s ruling on April 29.
SIERRA LEONE DECLARES NATIONAL EMERGENCY AFTER STEEP RISE IN USE OF DEADLY SYNTHETIC DRUG KUSH
President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has announced a national emergency on substance abuse in response to growing concerns about the widespread use of a dangerous synthetic drug called kush.
Kush is a widely popular drug across West African countries, containing a mixture of substances including cannabis, fentanyl, tramadol, and formaldehyde.
The government reports that Kush has caused numerous deaths and psychiatric harm to users in Sierra Leone over the past four years, although exact figures are unavailable.
On Thursday, Bio declared a national emergency during a late-night speech, expressing concern over the harmful impact of kush on Sierra Leone’s youth and society as a whole.
Bio intends to establish a national task force on substance abuse to implement a five-step strategy for a drug-free future, involving all sectors of society and supervised by a presidential advisory team.
TANZANIA, RWANDA AND ZIMBABWE, SOUTH AFRICA RECALL JOHNSON & JOHNSON COUGH SYRUP
Tanzania, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe’s drug regulatory bodies have recalled a batch of Johnson & Johnson children’s cough syrup as a precautionary measure. This action follows Nigeria’s announcement of high levels of toxicity found in laboratory tests.
Tanzania, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe have joined Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa in recalling a batch of children’s cough syrup, used for treating coughs, hay fever, and allergies, with South Africa also recalling an extra batch.
Nigeria’s health regulator found dangerous levels of diethylene glycol in the syrup, linked to child deaths in Gambia and Uzbekistan.
IEC RELEASES ADDRESSES OF THE 23,292 VOTING STATIONS FOR THE 2024
The Electoral Commission (IEC) released the addresses of the 23,292 voting stations for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.
“The highest number of voting stations will be in Kwazulu-Natal (4 974), Eastern Cape (4 868) and Limpopo (3 216). All voting stations are now contracted, with lease agreements concluded with landlords or owners,” Mamabolo said on Tuesday during media briefing in Centurion.
A list of the voting stations can be found [CLICK HERE].
MR IBU TO BE BURIED IN JUNE, NEARLY 4 MONTHS AFTER HIS DEATH
Nollywood veteran John ‘Mr. Ibu’ Okafor who passed away on Saturday, 2 March 2024 will only be buried on Friday, 28 June 2024.
Mr. Ibu will be buried in his hometown, Amuri, in the Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.
He will receive a five-day burial ceremony.
On Tuesday, June 25, there will be a march held in his honour in his hometown, Enugu State.
On Wednesday, June 26, there will be a candlelight service and a live entertainment night dubbed Mr. Ibu’s Night.
On June 27, a wake-keeping ceremony will be held at his compound in Eziokwe Amuri, Nkanu West, while the burial and funeral service will take place on 28 June 2024.
The five-day ceremony will end on Sunday, June 30, with a Thanksgiving service in church for family members, friends, and well-wishers.
“We would appreciate your esteemed presence as we lay to rest our son, husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and in-law on the 28th of June 2024. Kindly join us as we share the best and last moments with our icon,” said his family.
ESKOM REACHES NEARLY 1 MONTH WITHOUT LOADSHEDDING
South Africa’s power utility, Eskom, acknowledges that achieving 21 days without load shedding marks a milestone, yet it remains steadfast in its commitment to ultimately eradicate rotational power outages.
The power utiltiy say is managed to keep the lights on for more than 535 hours, the longest stretch in almost two years.
“This is a result of sustained generation capacity, adequate emergency reserves, and reduced electricity demand from the grid. The last time Eskom achieved a similar milestone was in June 2022, with 20 consecutive days without load shedding.
“While Eskom acknowledges this milestone, it remains committed to the continued implementation of its Generation Operational Recovery Plan to reduce and ultimately eliminate load shedding,” Eskom said.
KENYA TO LAUNCH STRATEGY TO CURB ROAD ACCIDENTS
On Wednesday, Kenyan President William Ruto introduced a new five-year road safety action plan aimed at reducing the increasing number of road accidents and casualties in the country.
More than 3,500 individuals lose their lives annually on Kenyan roads, with over 20,000 suffering severe injuries, a majority of whom are pedestrians, according to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
Ruto unveiled the National Road Safety Action Plan 2024-2028 in Nairobi, aiming to cut down the yearly road accidents in the East African nation by more than 50 percent.
He further said cameras will be installed at all accident-prone areas along Kenya’s main highways and roads, aiming to monitor drivers’ conduct and prevent accidents.
Murkomen, the Cabinet Secretary for Roads, Transport, and Public Works, emphasized that the action plan serves as a blueprint for ensuring road safety, which includes driver training initiatives.
CHOLERA DEATH TOLL SURGES TO 75 IN SOMALIA
The Ministry of Health in Somalia has reported that since January, at least 75 people have died from cholera, amid a significant increase in new cases.
Thus far, the Ministry of Health and Human Services has reported a total of 7,235 new cases, with 4,647, or 64 percent, classified as severe.
The ministry shared this information in its latest update on Tuesday evening in Mogadishu.
“The overall case fatality rate for the cumulative cases reported in this period is 1.0 percent, although specific regions like Bossaso, Bulo Burte and Mahaday show higher rate.”
Of all reported cases, 51 percent were female, amounting to 3,708 individuals, showcasing the vulnerability of women to cholera. Furthermore, 4,174 cases, equivalent to 58 percent, involved children under five years old, emphasizing the heightened risk faced by this age group.
VW INVESTING R4 BILLION IN SOUTH AFRICAN PLANT
Volkswagen is planning to invest 4 billion rand in its South African factory in the Eastern Cape to produce a new SUV starting in 2027.
The 4 billion rand investment will be used to upgrade facilities for the addition of a new SUV to its production line in early 2027, with most of the funds allocated to production facilities, manufacturing tooling, local content tooling, and quality assurance.
The investment of nearly R877 million will enhance automation in the body shop, while R418 million will be allocated for new press tooling in the press shop.
The first phase of the plant upgrade is set to commence at the end of this year during the yearly closure of the facility.
TANZANIA’S WEATHER SERVICE WARNS OF STRONG WINDS ALONG INDIAN OCEAN COASTLINE
The Tanzania Meteorological Authority issued a high alert on Tuesday regarding strong winds, forecasted to surpass 40 kilometers per hour, and large ocean waves expected to exceed 2 meters along the Indian Ocean coastline.
In its latest update, the weather service indicated that strong winds and large ocean waves are anticipated along the coast of Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Coast Region, and Zanzibar’s twin Islands of Unguja and Pemba.
The weather authority also mentioned that these regions will face short bursts of heavy rainfall, with the extreme weather likely to cause flash floods in certain areas and disrupt both economic and marine activities.
LAGOS MARKS 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHIBOK KIDNAPPING
Sunday, 14 April marked a special memorial service in Chibok, Nigeria, where the community gathered to remember the abduction of over 270 girls ten years ago.
In 2014, Boko Haram militants abducted schoolgirls, mostly Christians, from their dormitories at a federal government school. While some have been released over the years, many girls’ whereabouts remain unknown.
Militants and relatives of the victims gathered on Sunday to once again demand the release of the remaining girls in captivity.
UNICEF has urged for greater action to secure children’s education in Nigeria.
The UN agency highlighted that this incident was Nigeria’s first mass abduction of schoolchildren, expressing concern over ongoing attacks on schools in 10 vulnerable states due to insufficient early warning systems for identifying abduction threats by non-state actors, as reported by the UN.
The report highlighted a surge in bold kidnappings of students amid conflict-related violence in the West African nation, citing over 70 school attacks in the last decade, resulting in approximately 60 school staff abductions and 14 fatalities.
GAUTENG HEALTH ON ALARMING RISE IN INCIDENTS OF FOOD POISONING
The Department of Health in Gauteng Province has reported that 41 children and two adults received medical care due to two distinct cases of food poisoning in Johannesburg, South Africa early this week.
The department reported that on Monday, 41 children aged 3 to 5 allegedly consumed rat poison, thinking it was candy, at a preschool.
After medical examination, 17 children were admitted to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, while 24 were discharged.
Another food poisoning incident occurred on Monday night, with 10 individuals referred to Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital.
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