Kigali is hosting the 2022 edition of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) from the 6th to the 16th of June. Held every four years, the event is dedicated to the review of issues, projects and programmes related to telecommunications development. Under the theme “Connecting the unconnected to achieve sustainable development”, the WTDC is an opportunity to develop innovative approaches and new models for collaboration on connectivity and digital solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which is organising the event through its Telecommunication Development Board, has announced that this edition will define the…
Author: Eliane Fatchina
Eliane Fatchina
Eliane Yabo Omonlayo Fatchina is a reporter of Afro impact. She holds a professional degree in journalism from ENSTIC in Benin, she is a pan-Africanist passionate about culture, social issues and the environment. With already seven years of experience, she works daily to give voice to ideas through writing.
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Several hundred people demonstrated yesterday, Wednesday in the streets of Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, to protest against Rwanda, and Bukavu (eastern Congo), demanding that the Congolese authorities sever ties with Kigali. On Monday, a police-led demonstration had already taken place outside the Rwandan embassy. “Hundreds of people in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, chanted “Let the Rwandans go home! At the origin of the crisis between the DRC and Rwanda, Kinshasa accuses Kigali of being behind the former armed rebellion that has taken up arms in the east of the country, causing massive population displacements. Last Tuesday, the Congolese…
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday 31 May to step up fighting against piracy, armed robbery and hostage-taking in the Gulf of Guinea. The Gulf of Guinea (Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo) is the region most affected by attacks on ships and seafarers in the world. And this costs the Member States almost two billion dollars every year. In 2020, for example, 130 of the 135 ship crew abductions worldwide took place in the Gulf of Guinea. This is of concern to the United Nations, which has addressed the issue…
Confrontations between the M23 rebels and the Congolese army have led to tensions in recent days. Confrontations between the M23 rebels and the Congolese army have led to tensions in recent days. Kinshasa and Kigali accuse each other of supporting Tutsi and Hutu groups, which are considered rebels by both countries. Tensions have been rising again between Rwanda and the DRC in recent days, especially with the resurgence of attacks by the armed group M23 on Congolese territory. Yet relations between the two countries had begun to normalise since 2019, after the election of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi. Indeed, the…
The double summit of the African Union ended on Saturday 28 May in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The work mainly focused on humanitarian crises caused by terrorism and unconstitutional changes of government in Africa. At the end of these few days of debates, the African leaders left in secret for their respective countries. No closing ceremony and speech, no final declaration. This AU summit is taking place against the backdrop of five coups in Africa (Guinea-Conakry, Burkina Faso, Mali, Sudan and Chad). Not to mention that terrorism is gaining ground in almost every region of the continent. Therefore, terrorism and unconstitutional…
They are an emblematic figure in Cotonou, these men dressed in yellow shirts. Commonly known as zémidjan, which in the local Fon language means “take me away quickly”, these motorbike taxis are the most popular means of transport in Benin. It is thus a mode of transport that has taken on an important dimension to the point of becoming indispensable in the daily life of the locals but also of foreigners who stay there. Who are these motorbike taxi drivers? Craftsmen, mechanics, farmers, unemployed graduates, students… the profession welcomes all profiles. All you need is a motorbike and some knowledge…
The 11th edition of the annual forum on internet governance in Benin was held this Friday 20 May 2022 at Azalaî hotel in Cotonou. This workshop brings together several actors of the digital and ICT sector around the theme “Digital and financial inclusion: challenges and perspectives”. The Internet has become a platform for innovation and economic growth. This is what motivated the leaders of the Forum on Internet Governance in Benin (FGI Benin) to focus their reflections on digital and financial inclusion for this 11th edition of the forum. In his speech, Vivien Assangbe Wotto, president of the FGI Benin…
The Malian transitional authorities claim to have foiled a Coup d’Etat on the night of 11 to 12 May 2022. Seven officers and non-commissioned officers have already been charged in this regard. This attempted putsch, if confirmed, could be an illustration of disagreements within the FAMA (Malian Armed Forces) “In an unhealthy attempt to break the dynamics of Mali’s refoundation, a small group of anti-progressive Malian officers and non-commissioned officers attempted a Coup d’Etat on the night of 11 to 12 May 2022,” said the statement, read out on state television by the government spokesman on the evening of Monday…
Kenya’s third largest city, Kisumu, is hosting the 9th Africities Summit since yesterday, Tuesday 17 May. It brings together more than 5,000 African and international participants, including mayors and presidents of cities and local authorities, ministers, local elected officials, representatives of central and regional administrations, experts… This meeting organised by United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA) is taking place under the theme “The role of intermediate cities in Africa in the implementation of the United Nations Agenda 2030 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063”. The opening ceremony was led by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. To this end, he…
The eighth edition of the Graffiti festival ”Effet Graff Benin” opened on April 11, 2022 and allows to tell through drawings the story of the peoples of Benin and Africa on the wall of the Port of Cotonou. Entitled “The new Benin, wall of the port”, it is a project on African cultures to regain possession of the history of Africa and Benin in particular in order to project itself into the future. It is an international festival of urban arts that allows several national graffiti artists, from the sub-region and the West, to reveal their talent to the public…
