As we wrap up the week, here are the top stories from Africa. In Kenya, President Ruto appointed opposition ministers to his cabinet amid clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters.
Nigeria is preparing for potential unrest as citizens plan protests over economic hardships.
Meanwhile, Facebook has removed 63,000 accounts in Nigeria linked to ‘sextortion’ scams. Tragically, the death toll from the Ethiopian landslides has risen to 229.
Check out all the top stories below:
FACEBOOK REMOVES 63,000 ACCOUNTS IN NIGERIA OVER ‘SEXTORTION’ SCAMS
Meta, the parent company of Facebook announced on Wednesday that it had taken down around 63,000 Facebook accounts in Nigeria involved in financial sexual extortion scams primarily targeting adult men in the United States.
Meta also stated that the removed accounts included a smaller network of about 2,500, tied to a group of around 20 people.
These accounts were linked to individuals using Meta’s social media services to blackmail targets after soliciting intimate photos.
Nigerian online fraudsters, known as “Yahoo boys,” are infamous for scams like pretending to be people in financial trouble or Nigerian princes offering investment opportunities. In this instance, the scammers used fake accounts to mask their identities and engage in “sextortion,” threatening victims with the release of compromising photos unless they paid to prevent it.
“They targeted primarily adult men in the U.S. and used fake accounts to mask their identities,” Meta said.
The investigation revealed that most of the scammers’ efforts failed, with their targets primarily being adults but also including some minors. Meta reported the incidents involving minors to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S. and used advanced technical methods to detect and address sex extortion.
NIGERIA PREPARES FOR UNREST PROTESTS OVER ECONOMIC HARDSHIP
Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, warned on Tuesday against upcoming protests inspired by recent demonstrations in Kenya. Scheduled to start on August 1, these protests are in response to worsening economic conditions, including high prices and growing insecurity.
Frustrated citizens are using social media to plan peaceful protests calling for government reforms, including reversing price hikes, offering free education, tackling inflation, and improving transparency in spending.
The planned protests are inspired by recent demonstrations in Kenya, where young people successfully pressured the government to abandon proposed tax hikes.
Nigeria is facing a severe economic crisis with high inflation, rising fuel and electricity costs, and devaluation of the naira, which has worsened poverty and food shortages, prompting the government to raise the minimum wage.
Despite concerns from the police about possible violence, organizers of the protests are committed to keeping them peaceful.
RUTO PROTESTS: PRO- AND ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTERS CLASH IN KENYA
Kenya’s anti-government protesters clashed with a pro-government group on Tuesday, while protesting in several areas of the country, demanding President William Ruto’s resignation.
By noon, protests had erupted in Mombasa, Kisumu, Nairobi, and Kajiado counties. In Nairobi, pro-government groups opposed the anti-Ruto demonstrators by staging motorcycle rides in support of the Kenya Kwanza regime.
The anti-government group set up bonfires in Imara Daima near the main airport, which led to airport officials advising travelers to arrive early for security checks, while flights continued as usual.
Kenya’s anti-government protests, which began over new tax proposals, have now lasted five weeks, with calls for President Ruto’s resignation despite his refusal to sign the bill and dismissal of most Cabinet ministers.
Since June 18, at least 50 people have died and 413 have been injured in the protests, reports the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.
RUTO APPOINTS OPPOSITION MINISTERS TO HIS CABINET
Kenya’s President William Ruto has appointed key supporters of main opposition leader Raila Odinga to his cabinet in an effort to address increasing discontent with his government.
Ruto’s decision comes amid the most significant crisis of his presidency, as young people protest and call for his resignation.
Ruto appointed 10 new cabinet members, including four from the opposition, expanding his cabinet to 21 members.
The opposition will serve in the government, with Ruto assigning them four key posts, including the influential finance and energy ministries.
Ruto appointed nominated:
- John Madi to Cabinet Secretary National Treasury
- Opiyo Wandayi to Energy and Petroleum
- Ali Hassan Joho to Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs
- Wycliffe Oparanya to the Ministry of Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development.
Since taking office in 2022 after a close election win over Mr. Odinga, Ruto has struggled to maintain support among young people despite promising better economic opportunities; he recently had to abandon proposed tax hikes due to widespread protests over the cost-of-living crisis and concerns about government corruption.
FINANCE MINISTER PRESENTS MID-YEAR BUDGET REVIEW
The Minister of Finance, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam presented the mid-year review of the 2024 budget of the Government of Ghana on Wednesday, 23 July 2024.
Here’s a brief of the presentation:
- The Finance Minister, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, presented the mid-year review of Ghana’s 2024 budget.
- The Ministry of Roads will reintroduce road tolls in 2025, three years after canceling them in 2021.
- The government has allocated 1.5 billion Ghana cedis ($97 million) to settle claims from customers of shut-down fund management companies.
- Inflation has declined, the exchange rate has stabilized, and international reserves improved to 3.1 months of imports by June 2024.
- Ghana’s economy grew by 4.7 percent in the first quarter of 2024, surpassing the target of 3.1 percent.
- The government spent 1.5 billion Ghana cedis to support 1,488,575 students under the Free SHS program between January and June 2024.
- Approximately 12 billion Ghana cedis has been paid to bondholders under the Domestic Debt Exchange program since February.
- The government is progressing on infrastructure projects like the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ofankor-Nsawam Road, and Keta Water Supply.
- The NPP government has completed the Prempeh I International Airport in Kumasi and the Yakubu Tali International Airport in Tamale.
- The Agenda 111 Hospitals are at various stages of completion.
- The government successfully completed the second review of its Extended Credit Facility with the IMF, receiving a third disbursement of $360 million, totaling about $1.6 billion.
- Ghana’s debt restructuring with official creditors has provided $2.8 billion in debt relief, meaning the country will not need to repay this debt from 2023 to 2026.
DEATH TOLL IN ETHIOPIAN LANDSLIDES RISES TO 229
The death toll from two landslides in southern Ethiopia has reached at least 229, according to authorities.
The slides occurred late Sunday after heavy rains.
As the rescue efforts continued on Monday morning, with many using only their hands to search for victims, the second landslide occurred, burying several of the rescuers.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a statement he was “deeply saddened by this terrible loss” in Gofa and that a federal disaster prevention task force had been sent to the location.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is Ethiopian, said his agency also has dispatched a team to the site.
Approximately 300 people from nearby villages rushed to help their neighbors after the first mudslide, as reported by Habtamu Fetena, the head of the local government’s emergency response, to The New York Times.
NIGERIA FINES META $220M FOR VIOLATING DATA LAWS
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) of Nigeria fined Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp and Facebook, $220 million last week for breaking data and consumer protection laws.
According to a statement issued by Dr Adamu Abdullahi, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of the FCCPC, the $220 million fine on Meta last week after a 3-year investigation (38-month period from May 2021 to December 202).
The investigation revealed that Meta repeatedly violated Nigeria’s data protection rules by mishandling users’ information, leading to this final penalty.
The statement says Meta repeatedly broke Nigerian laws by mishandling personal data. This includes not letting people control their own data, sharing it without permission, unfairly treating people, abusing its power, and forcing people to take unwanted services together.
The infringements per the statement:
(1) Denying Nigerian data subjects the right to self-determine;
(2) Unauthorized transfer and sharing of Nigerian data-subjects personal data,
including cross- border storage in violation of then, and now prevailing law;
(3) Discrimination and disparate treatment;
(4) Abuse of Dominance; and
(5) Tying and bundling.
Meta was instructed to “immediately reinstate the rights of Nigerian users to self-determine and control” data sharing and stop sharing WhatsApp users’ information “with other Facebook companies and third parties” without active consent. Additionally, Meta must pay $35,000 for the investigation and $220 million in fines within 60 days from July 18.
ROAD ACCIDENTS IN AFRICA HAVE INCREASED IN THE PAST DECADE, WITH 250,000 LIVES LOST IN 2021
A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report shows that while global road traffic death rates fell by 5% over the past decade, road deaths in Africa increased significantly, with nearly 250,000 lives lost in 2021 alone.
The high number of road deaths and injuries in Africa is due to weak road safety standards, as many countries do not enforce laws against speeding, drunk driving, or require the use of helmets, seat belts, and child restraints.
The WHO reports that road deaths in Africa have worsened more than in other regions, rising by 20,000 from 2010 to 2021. In contrast, global road deaths decreased by 5% during the same period.
Binta Sako, a WHO technical officer, said the increased deaths are due to a lack of infrastructure and to road users’ behavior.
“First of all, we are a growing population. Urbanization without the infrastructure that follows is one of the reasons. The increased number of unregulated vehicles, we are the first importers of used vehicles. Most of the time they are not road worthy,” Sako said.
“And then we also have to talk about behavioral risk factors,” such as speeding and drunken driving.
NIGERIA: NETFLIX INCREASES SUBSCRIPTION PRICES FOR SECOND TIME THIS YEAR
Giant streaming service Netflix has raised its subscription fees in Nigeria once again, following a price increase in April 2024.
Nigerians will now pay N7,000 per month for Netflix’s Premium Plan, up 40% from the previous rate of N5,000.
The Standard Plan, popular for its HD quality and multi-screen options, increased from N4,000 to N5,500, a 37.5% rise.
The Basic Plan went up by 21%, from N2,900 to N3,500, while the Mobile Plan saw an 83% increase, rising from N1,200 to N2,200.
GHANA: MAN ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTING TO SELL NIECE TO ACQUIRE CANADIAN VISA
A 30-year-old man named Nana Kofi Amofa, also known as Kofi Yesu, was arrested by the Central East Regional Police Intelligence Unit (PID) for trying to sell his 6-year-old niece for GHC150,000 in exchange for a Canadian visa.
Mr. Amofa was arrested on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at around 10:00 pm in Gomoa Buduburam, near Obolo Estate in the Central region.
The police reported that they received information indicating the suspect intended to sell the 6-year-old girl (name withheld) to raise money for a trip to Canada.
To catch the suspect, police officers pretending to be buyers found that Amofa was demanding GHC150,000.
After his arrest, Amofa admitted that the victim was his niece. The niece has now been taken to the Kasoa Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit for further investigation.
AT LEAST 1, 237 DEATHS RECORDED IN ACCIDENTS ACROSS GHANA
Statistics from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) in Ghana reveal that 1,237 individuals died in road accidents between January and June 2024.
Most of these fatalities were caused by drivers ignoring traffic laws and overtaking improperly.
According to Pearl Adusu Sateckla, Head of Public Relations at NRSA, research reveals that 90% of drivers ignore traffic signs and speed limits, often leading to head-on collisions.
Preliminary data from the National Traffic Crash and Casualty Unit shows that between January and June 2024, 6,653 road accidents occurred. These incidents involved 11,283 private and commercial vehicles and motorbikes, resulting in 8,798 casualties.
Out of 8,798 casualties, 1,237 died and 7,561 were injured.
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