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If you are following global Nigeria News , you may know that final 12 months was an eventful 12 months. From Brexit to Trump to Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement, 2019 was crammed with significant turning factors which have affected individuals around the globe. But what about Africa? Was there a major development that impacted the continent? Which country rose on account of the pandemic, and which one fell? Did a new political social gathering emerge and reshape the political landscape? Could a army dictator return to energy? We’ve collated a number of the most vital information stories that have flown below the radar of almost everybody else.

Nigeria Wins UN Peace Prize

The year 2019 was a landmark yr for African journalism. Not only did Kenyatta Wijaya win the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for his courageous reporting on the massacre of Baga people by Boko Haram, but also two publications earned the prestigious George Polk Award. More just lately, the Media Institute of Nigeria, which covers tales in English, gained the Nelson Mandela Prize for Excellence in Journalism for its diligent work uncovering government corruption and enhancing press freedom in Nigeria.

The following year will see a number of new awards being added to the already illustrious checklist of prizes for good journalism in Africa. Relating to news writing, the continent is producing some of the finest journalists in the world. It ought to come as no shock that many main news organizations, such as the BBC, have a presence on the continent.

Uganda Bans Cash Transactions Over 2000 Ugandan Shillings

Uganda has turn out to be the most recent nation to utterly ban money transactions over 2000 Ugandan shillings (roughly US$2). The transfer is being touted as a approach of combating extortion and money laundering, and in addition comes in the wake of the government elevating the minimal wage to address the country’s high price of residing. After the announcement, the worth of the shilling immediately dropped by more than 10% to around 3000 Ugandan shillings. The shillings had previously been valued at round 3700 and 4000 shillings within the earlier two weeks respectively.

While some regard the transfer as a populist measure that won’t solve the nation’s rampant inflation, others believe that it is a step in the right direction for Uganda, one of the costly places to dwell on the planet. With only a few money transactions allowed, it is hoped that the government’s latest transfer will make the financial system more efficient and likewise assist fight corruption. Inflation has been rising quickly over the previous few years and reached an all-time excessive of 40.7% within the final quarter of 2018. In 2018, the federal government raised the price of commodities, including gas, to try to tame inflation. However, the move backfired, and inflation spiked even greater. Hopefully, this latest transfer can be extra successful and assist present some stability for the economic system.

DRC Demolishes Its Only Suspected War Memorial

The Democratic Republic of Congo has demolished its solely suspected war memorial, which was getting used to glorify its useless fighters. The government ordered the destruction of the memorial positioned in the capital city of Kinshasa, claiming it was an instance of colonialist architecture that didn’t correspond with the country’s history. However, it wasn’t simply the design of the monument that irked the government; the structure itself had grow to be a logo of division inside the town. For many years, Kinshasa has been divided right into a French-speaking part and an English-talking part, and the memorial was a supply of contention between the 2.

There was broad public outcry over the federal government’s decision, with many condemning the move as a sign of Francophone oppression. For many years, the memorial has stood as a testomony to the city’s colonial previous and the various atrocities that the country endured during that point. On the streets surrounding the capital metropolis, ladies wrapped in white cloth are generally seen carrying black ribbons to symbolize their grief. It is still not clear what’s going to turn out to be of the construction, but it is certain that this was one of many most significant historical demolitions of the yr, and presumably the decade.

Nigeria’s President Declares Year Of The Rabbit Marked Amidst Coronavirus

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has declared the year of the rabbit to be the ‘Year of the Coronavirus’ as a part of a campaign to curb the country’s raging coronavirus pandemic. To have a good time the auspicious occasion, the president had various events and activities organized all through Nigeria. These occasions range from book readings to exhibitions and trend reveals, and the federal government even arrange reside animal markets where residents could come together to socialize and assist one another throughout the pandemic. Buhari also ordered the development of new authorities workplaces and healthcare centers across the country, which will assist tackle the consequences of the pandemic. However, while the campaign was undoubtedly a step in the correct course, it’s troublesome to know if it is going to make a significant distinction in stemming the tide of the pandemic. The country’s healthcare system was already struggling earlier than the pandemic, and the restricted resources there are strained to their absolute limit. With the financial fallout and the day by day trauma that the pandemic has inflicted upon so many, maybe it might have been better if Buhari had determined to maintain the Year of the Rabbit to himself.

Nigeria’s Health Minister Pushes For Drug Prices To Be Cut

Nigeria’s health minister has demanded manufacturers slash the costs of life-saving drugs, saying that the high prices are discouraging many healthcare workers from utilizing the medications. The nation’s health system is among the most underfunded and beneath-resourced on the earth, with many healthcare staff struggling to buy primary medications resembling gloves and masks to protect themselves in opposition to the pandemic. The situation has become so dire that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that Nigeria is at a heightened danger of a public health emergency due to its insufficient preparedness and inability to reply to such a crisis. In recent years, the cost of cancer drugs and different prescribed medications has soared, and as a result, healthcare employees are prescribing much less treatment and extra traditional strategies of healing because of the nation’s restricted financial sources, making it harder for those who want the medications most to access them.

Nigeria’s health minister, Beni Simbawa, said that the government is wanting into the issue and called for manufacturers to cooperate with authorities to make sure that everybody who wants most cancers medicine can get them.

Kenya’s Deputy President Steps Down Following Public Outcry

Kenya’s deputy president, Koigi wa Wamie, has stepped down following widespread public outcry over a controversial bill that might ban marriages between individuals from totally different tribes. Under the proposed laws, which was extensively condemned as an attack on tribal culture, anybody discovered guilty of getting into into a marriage with somebody from a special tribe would be sentenced to 3 years in prison. However, the Deputy President’s resignation would not come as an ideal shock. Earlier within the year, before the proposed legislation was even made public, a number of individuals, together with prominent businesspeople and members of the political elite, threatened to go away the nation if the bill was ever passed. The backlash from Kenyans was so vital that wa Wamie even withdrew the laws, shelving what was as soon as touted as a key part of his administration’s platform. After his resignation, the deputy president mentioned that he was satisfied that the invoice had not moved ahead regardless of his greatest efforts, and he praised the way the Kenyan people had rallied around the issue.

Tanzania’s Only Museum To Receive UNESCO Certification

Tanzania’s solely museum has received certification from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, and it will now be thought of for inclusion on the World Heritage List. The Mwene Nyamo Mbumi Museum of African Art in Mkhuani, a coastal city in Tanzania, houses certainly one of the biggest collections of African artwork on the planet. The gathering spans 4 centuries, and it options an enormous variety of traditional and modern African sculptures, textiles, and jewellery. The museum has been amassing for greater than a century, and its founder, the late Marjorie Merriweather Post, wanted the museum to reflect her love for Africa and its individuals. At current, the museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, and while it would not provide any specific packages, it does present a cultural expertise that many individuals cannot have of their lifetime.