Africa Business News

The Sudan Tribune news website reports that Sudan has closed its eastern border with Ethiopia after an increase in coronavirus infections in Al-Qadarif state.Al-Qadarif state is one of the main entry points for people fleeing the war in the Ethiopian Tigray region. Their number last week rose to nearly 70,000.The decision to close the border was taken to prevent the entry of foreigners except those determined by the authorities.Those exempted will go through strict health procedures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.Imams at local mosques are ordered to perform Taraweeh prayers - nightly prayers in Ramadan - only in the mosques' courtyards.

The Central Bank of South Sudan says it will auction $5m to commercial banks and foreign-exchange bureaus every week in order to bring down high prices of basic commodities.People have been complaining about skyrocketing prices, which economists attribute to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.The first auction was conducted on Tuesday morning in the capital, Juba, with 22 commercial banks participating.Twenty banks managed to access foreign exchange resources at various rates based on the bids they submitted.The bank’s governor, Dier Tong Ngor says the resources will provide traders and clients of commercial banks with the necessary foreign exchange resources that they need and also help business people to bring in essential commodities to South Sudan.

South Africa's Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced the suspension of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 jab to investigate a possible link with blood clots.Dr Mkhize says the decision was a precautionary suspension.Hours earlier US health authorities paused the use of the one dose jab after cases of extremely rare blood clotting.The US Food and Drug Administration says six cases in 6.8 million doses had been reported and it was acting out of an abundance of caution.Johnson & Johnson says it was also delaying its vaccine rollout in Europe.The US move follows similar rare cases in the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has prompted some curbs in its use.

Former South African president Jacob Zuma has up to Wednesday to suggest the penalty the country's highest court should impose if he were to be found guilty of contempt.The penalty relates to his ignoring of summons to appear before the commission of inquiry chaired by Justice Ray Zondo to answer corruption allegations - which he denies.The commission had earlier asked the court to sentence the former president for two years, to stamp the authority of the court and show the seriousness of Mr Zuma's actions. An appeals court on Tuesday upheld an earlier judgement for the state to recover money that it had spent on the former president's legal fees. It said the state funding in the corruption case was "unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid".It is estimated that the state paid between $1m and $2.2m in legal costs for him.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has invited the former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha for questioning.Okorocha had reportedly refused to honour previous invitations from the anti-graft commission.He was arrested at about 4 pm at his Unity House private office in Abuja after a five-hour standoff with EFCC operatives who trailed him to the location.Mr Okorocha was invited for questioning by the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Nasiru Mohammed.The police say the Senator’s invitation was prompted by his alleged involvement in gaining forceful entry into a property confiscated by the State Government.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has assured the National Association of Resident Doctors that their demands would be met in four weeks’ time.NARD President, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, had on April 12 asked the Federal Government to honour its agreement with the union, warning that should the government fail to honour its agreement in the next four weeks, they would be forced to declare another indefinite nationwide industrial action.The Speaker, after listening to their demands, promised that the government is doing all within its power to ensure the doctors do not down their tools.

Nigerian Government says the country is expected to receive six of the 12 Super Tucanos ordered from the United States in mid-July.The presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, says 14 Nigerian pilots are currently training with the aircraft at the Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.Mr Garba posted a video of what appeared to be test-flight operations on his verified Twitter handle.The video was credited to the Sierra Nevada Corporation, a private American aerospace firm.The announcement comes after the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru, appeared before a committee of lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Monday.

Authorities in and around Minneapolis have announced a curfew for Monday night after a police officer shot dead a young Black man, dramatically escalating tensions in the US city.Mayor Jacob Frey declared a state of emergency in the city of Minneapolis which will begin at 7:00 pm (2300 GMT) tonight (and) go until 6:00 am tomorrow morning.The curfew will also be enforced in the twin city of St. Paul and surrounding communities including Hennepin County, where 20-year-old Daunte Wright was killed Sunday when a police officer mistakenly used her gun instead of a taser during a confrontation.That killing sparked a series of protests across the nation, some of them violent, and led to an ongoing racial reckoning in America.

The head of Libya’s new interim government and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have affirmed their commitment to a controversial 2019 maritime agreement that has angered Greece and Cyprus.Erdogan pledged to support Libya’s unity, its reconstruction and its military in a meeting on Monday in Ankara with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Turkey also signed an agreement with the Tripoli-based government delineating the maritime boundaries between the two countries in the Mediterranean, triggering protests from Greece and Cyprus. Erdogan says the memorandum of understanding concerning the maritime jurisdiction in the Mediterranean that we signed with our neighbour Libya, has secured the interest and future of both countries.Both countries denounced the agreement, saying it was a serious breach of international law that disregarded the rights of other eastern Mediterranean countries.

The head of the World Health Organization says Confusion and complacency in addressing COVID-19 mean the pandemic is a long way from over, but it can be brought under control in months with proven public health measures.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing that they want to see societies and economies reopening, and travel and trade resuming however intensive care units in many countries are overflowing and people are dying.He says the COVID-19 pandemic is a long way from over but there are many reasons to be optimistic. The WHO team leader on COVID-19, Maria Van Kerkhove, told the news briefing the pandemic was growing exponentially, with a nine per cent increase in cases last week, the seventh consecutive week of increases