Across the 54 Countries in Africa, these are the 5 top stories you may have missed:
SA: Unemployment rises to 32.5 per cent
Risenga Maluleke, South Africa’s Statistician-General has revealed that the unemployment rate in South Africa rose to 32.5% in the last three months of 2020 – All Africa reports
Risenga disclosed this in a report submitted Labour Force Survey released, Tuesday 23rd February.
“The unemployment rate according to the expanded definition of unemployment decreased by 0.5 of a percentage point to 42.6% in Quarter 4: 2020 compared to Quarter 3: 2020,” reads the report.
Bazoum declared Niger’s new president
Niger’s electoral commission has declared former interior minister, Mohamed Bazoum, the winner of the country’s presidential election runoff – Aljazeera Africa reports
Issaka Souna, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), announced on Tuesday, 23rd February, that Bazoum had secured 55.75 per cent of the votes cast on February 21, beating former President Mahamane Ousmane who garnered 44.25 per cent.
Ebola: Guinea begins immunisation
Vaccination against the Ebola fever has started in Guinea, Tuesday, 23rd February, weeks after the resurgence of the virus – Africa News reports
The campaign began after more than 11,000 doses of vaccines from the World Health Organization (WHO) arrived in Conakry on Monday evening. The WHO plans to send an additional 8,500 doses from the United States soon.
Students flee ‘Fake COVID-19 Vaccination’ in Cameroon
No fewer than three students have been hospitalised in Cameroon after sustaining injuries from a stampede following a rumoured coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination campaign – News Central Africa reports
Local media reports state that students from the city of Kumba, in southwest Cameroon fled their schools after hearing rumours that they would be vaccinated against COVID-19.
However, authorities have described the rumours as false. Erick Tandi, a member of the anti-COVID campaign team at Cameroon’s Ministry of Health, said health workers have been sent to schools and communities to counter the disinformation.
Italian ambassador’s body flown home from DR Congo
The body of the Italian Ambassador, Luca Attanasio, to the Democratic Republic of Congo who was killed in a failed kidnapping attempt on Monday, 22nd February, has been flown back to Rome – BBC Africa reports
Luc’s Italian bodyguard, Vittorio Iacovacci, and a local driver were killed in an ambush on a United Nations food convoy in the east of the country.
An Italian military plane carrying the two coffins, draped in the national flag, was met by Prime Minister Mario Draghi at Rome’s Ciampino airport
