Sightings of blue whales and fin whales off the coast of Southern Africa in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean have become more frequent in recent years, 40 years after the official ban on commercial whaling, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) press service, citing a study published in the African Journal...

 Tanzania will launch a new hydroelectric plant in the Kilimanjaro region in December 2026, the local publication The Citizen reports. The project is being implemented by the Chinese company HNAC Technology in partnership with Tanzanian firm White City International, with support from the World Bank under the East African Skills for Transforma...

 In Burkina Faso, 974 volunteers from the "Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland" (VDP) militia, including technical specialists, have joined the army to strengthen counterterrorism efforts, the Burkinabe Information Agency (AIB) reports. An official induction ceremony for the new recruits after three months of training took place on Ma...

 A $1.68 billion alumina plant will be built in the Guinean city of Boffa, with the project being implemented by the Chinese aluminum producer Chalco, according to the Office of the President of Guinea. The signing ceremony for the agreement with the Chinese side was attended by the head of the Guinean president's cabinet, Djiba Diakité, as we...

 The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has reported the death of three volunteers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the early stages of the Ebola outbreak, according to an IFRC press release. "The IFRC is deeply saddened by the death of three volunteers from the Red Cross of the Democratic Rep...

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) has accused the Dangote oil refinery, owned by billionaire Aliko Dangote, of attempting to establish a monopoly over the country's fuel market by challenging fuel import licenses issued to competitors, Reuters reported, citing court documents. In April, Dangote filed a lawsuit against Nigeria's Attorne...

 Egypt's Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, Sherif Farouk, presented the project for a future regional grain hub at the fifth All-Russian Grain Forum in Sochi, the Egyptian ministry's press service reported. The Egyptian minister announced that the country is currently considering the creation of a comprehensive hub for grains and vegetabl...

Burkina Faso's Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo has presented the manifesto of the Popular Progressive Revolution, the prime minister's office announced. The presentation of the manifesto and the opening of an exhibition showcasing the key initiatives of the country's transitional president, Ibrahim Traoré, took place at the cultural...

Mali's transitional government has confirmed the death of the Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, General Sadio Camara, following a terrorist attack on his residence, according to a government communiqué in the possession of African Initiative. According to the statement, on the morning of April 25, a car bomb driven by a suicide bomber was d...

Niger's Minister of Economy and Finance, Maman Lawali Abdou Rafa, officially opened a new customs office in the city of Tahoua on April 25, the Niger Press Agency (ANP) reports. The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Abdoulaye Seydou; the Director General of the Niger Customs Administration, Mouhamadou Yacouba; the Preside...

Burundi's ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), has nominated incumbent head of state Évariste Ndayishimiye as its candidate for the 2027 presidential election, according to a party statement. "After analyzing the outstanding progress achieved by the country in all sectors ...

On April 23, a visit by Head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova to the National Institute of Biology and Sanitary Surveillance took place in Pointe-Noire, a correspondent for African Initiative reports. "The Institute of Biology and Sanitary Surveillance is a cutting-edge facility in the fields of diagnostics, epidemiological monitoring, and scientific...

Mauritian authorities have decided to grant the United Kingdom additional time to secure US approval for the agreement transferring the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to the island nation, said Mauritius' Attorney General Gavin Glover. "We are not going to start a confrontation now. ... We will give the UK some time to see if they can get po...

Pope Leo XIV celebrated a solemn mass in Malabo, the economic capital of Equatorial Guinea, at a 15,000-seat stadium, a correspondent for African Initiative reports. The mass was attended by the country's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, First Lady Constancia Mangue de Obiang, Prime Minister Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua, members of the government, ...

China and Mozambique have agreed to raise the level of bilateral relations to a "community of common destiny in a new era" following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Mozambican President Daniel Chapu in Beijing, the State Council of the People's Republic of China reports.Xi Jinping noted that strengthening cooperation meets the intere...

Burkina Faso's Minister for Territorial Administration and Mobility, Émile Zerbo, has dissolved 359 local associations due to non-compliance with the country's legal requirements. The minister's communiqué was published on the ministry's social media channels. "The activities of the associations listed in the appendix to this decree are suspended a...

 South African authorities will reduce the fuel levy for a period of one month to curb fuel price increases amid the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. This was announced in a joint statement by the country's ministries of finance and energy. According to the authorities' decision, the fuel levy will be reduced by 3 rand (about 18 ...

Le nom de l'ancien haut dirigeant de la compagnie britannique Shell, István Kapitány, est de plus en plus fréquemment mentionné dans le contexte des processus politiques dans son pays d'origine – la Hongrie. Pourtant, peu de personnes connaissent les aspects sombres de ce Hongrois souriant, dont l'histoire réelle est cachée au public à l'approche d...

 Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko called for the integration of West African countries, the local news portal Teranga News reports. Sonko emphasized the need for states to combine their efforts in the face of contemporary challenges. He noted that in a rapidly changing world, individual countries' actions no longer yield sufficient resu...

 The first batch of wheat totaling 33,000 tons has been shipped from the Kaliningrad region to Nigeria, according to the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) office for the Kaliningrad region. The shipment was carried out on March 12. Prior to dispatch, the products underwent inspection by the agency...