africa media analysis report - wits university

Tangaza Africa Media20 Baker Street, Rosebank 2196P O Box 1953, Houghton 2041Tel: +27 11 447 4017Fax: +27 86 545 7357email: [email protected]

Africa Media AnalysisReport MAY 2018

2

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 2Overall Scorecard 3Analysis of daily issue coverage, April 2018 4Eastern Africa & Great Lakes 5Analysis of daily issue coverage 5Politics 6Economy, Trade & Development 7Peace, Security & Terrorism 8Health & Food issues 9Tourism, Travel & Leisure 10Business & Investments 11Science, Technology & Innovation 12Entertainment 13Education, Arts & Culture 14Southern Africa 15Analysis of daily issue coverage 15Politics 16Economy, Trade & Development 17Tourism, Travel & Leisure 18Health & Food issues 19Business & Investments 20Science, Technology & Innovation 21Peace, Security & Terrorism 22Entertainment 23West Africa 24Analysis of daily issue coverage 24Politics 25Economy, Trade & Development 26Peace, Security & Terrorism 27Health & Food issues 27Business & Investments 28Science, Technology & Innovation 28Education 29Entertainment 29North Africa 30Analysis of News Categories 30Peace, Security & Terrorism 31Politics 32Economy, Trade & Development 33

Overall Scorecard

3

West Africa reported the highest media coverage volumes for May 2018. The region accounted for 51.94% for the total media coverage for US Africa issues. The East Africa region ranked sec-ond with about 26.11 % of the continental coverage. Southern and Northern Africa regions accounted for 13.20% and 8.66 % respectively.

By news category, Politics led the coverage, accounting for 31.6 % of the continent’s total coverage of US Africa issues. Economy, Trade and Development received 19.91 %, while Peace, Security & Terrorism received 19.02%. Health & Food issues accounted for 10.26% and Business & Investment 7.62%.

There was sparse coverage of issues relating to Education, Entertainment and Arts & Culture

The core news frames in May related diplomatic relations and business & investment.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Washington a small win for President Donald Trump after Buhari praised Trump on some of his decisions.

In other news frames, questions were raised as to whether Buhari really signed a food import deal with America. South Sudan pleaded with US not to cut aid after Washington said it would review its assistance programs because it could not con-tinue a partnership with leaders perpetuating “endless war”.

In issues of Business & investments a US firm was said to fund, build Mombasa-Nairobi expressway in Kenya. Trump also threat-ened to cut US aid to South Africa because it didn’t agree with some of its policies.

Issue Coverage Analysis

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1-May

2-May

3-May

4-May

5-May

6-May

7-May

8-May

9-May

10-May

11-May

12-May

13-May

14-May

15-May

16-May

17-May

18-May

19-May

20-May

21-May

22-May

23-May

24-May

25-May

26-May

27-May

28-May

29-May

30-May

31-May

East Africa North Africa Southern Africa West Africa

4

West AfricaEarly May reports said President Donald Trump called on

Nigeria to remove its trade barriers, saying the US wad “owed that” on account of providing the West African country with more than $1bn in foreign aid each year.

US’ President, Donald Trump also called on Nigeria and the whole of Africa to support its bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.

Other spikes showed that twenty-two people were killed in clashes with the army in Cameroon, in the latest violence to hit the restive northwest.

The spike on the 23rd May indicated that Cameroonian author-ities summoned the US ambassador in the country, days after he accused government forces of abuses against separatists in English-speaking regions.

East AfricaThe spike seen on the 8-10 May related to South Sudan’s gov-

ernment lashing out at the US after the Trump administration threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitar-ian aid amid the country’s grinding civil war, calling the US “a real obstacle” toward achieving peace.

South Sudan’s government urged the US and said they were asking the US not to abandon the country because we needed them and their role to assist the population of South Sudan was crucial and could not be ignored.

Reports noted that the spike on 24 May said US confectionery giant Mars Incorporated announced plans to set up a Sh7 billion factory at Athi River as part of the ongoing expansion of Wrigley.

The spike seen on 30 May reflected that President Uhuru Kenyatta held talks with a team of US senators led by James Inhofe of the Armed Service Committee.

Southern AfricaThe spike between 30-31 May showed an American expert in

urban transformation, Professor Toni Griffin was on a working visit to South Africa. For Griffin, the visit was also an opportunity to understand the way in which South African cities operated

and and how they were using planning as a framework for deci-sion-making and transformative investments which could address inequality.

The 15-16 May spike highlighted that the USA was happy with the progress made with the new administration in electoral law reforms and was looking forward to cementing its bilateral rela-tionship with Zimbabwe.

Other reports noted that President Trump signed proclama-tions granting permanent country-exemptions to a select num-ber of countries and extended by one month the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariff duty exemptions for some. South Africa was disappointed that it was not granted an exemption from the duties.

Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Angola were countries that were against the U.S on UN resolutions.

North AfricaThe spike on the 25th June indicated that US Vice President

Mike Pence told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the US was concerned about certain activists arrested even as other prisoners were recently released.

Other reports said President Trump’s national security adviser and Vice President could not have been oblivious that advocat-ing a “Libya model” for North Korea’s denuclearization would go over badly with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who presum-ably did not wish to be overthrown and killed after giving up his nukes, the fate that befell Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

The 14 June spike showed that Egypt’s most senior Muslim leaders denounced Washington’s move to shift the US Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, saying it amounted to a provocation for the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims.

Reports said Tunisia’s largest trade union considered prevent-ing the unloading and launching of American ships in the coun-try’s ports in response to the US decision to transfer its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.

Early May reports said Morocco bid to become the second African team to ever host the soccer World Cup in 2026—but Donald Trump stood in the way.

Analysis of daily issue coverage, May 2018

Eastern Africa

5

PoliticsSouth Sudan’s government lashed out at the US after the Trump

administration threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid amid the country’s grinding civil war, calling the US “a real obstacle” toward achieving peace. Voters in Burundi overwhelmingly approved a new constitution, ushering in changes that could let the president stay in power to 2034. An opposition coalition rejected the results, while the US claimed the process had been marred by voter intimidation.

Economy, Trade & DevelopmentEast African Community (EAC) members Kenya, Tanzania,

Rwanda and Uganda increased tariffs on used clothing in July 2016. Rwanda hiked import duties from 20 cents to $2.50 per kilo-gram. These changes stemmed from US President Trump trade battle with Rwanda over used clothes and his disputes with China. In Uganda, President Trump’s principal voice on business Wilbur Ross described the oil refinery agreement signed early last month with a consortium of American and Italian firms as a “major win for US commercial interests in Uganda”.

Peace, Security & Terrorism Al-Shabaab was responsible for more than half the reported

attacks carried out in Africa by militant Islamist groups during the past 12 months, a think tank associated with the US Defence Department said.

Health & Food issuesSouth Sudan’s government lashed out at the US after the Trump

administration threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Further reports said South Sudan begged the US to reconsider their partnership.

Business & Investment

The US born Coca-Cola Corporation celebrated 70 years in Kenya. Reports mentioned that the establishment employed over 10,000 people in the country. Business Daily reported that Microsoft launched its first software testing centre in Africa through a partnership with IT firm Techno Brain in Kenya. US con-fectionary business, Mars Incorporated, announced plans to set up a Sh7 billion factory in Athi River, Kenya as part of the ongoing expansion of Wrigley, its chewing gum subsidiary.

Tourism, Travel & LeisureReports said US firms were among the exhibitors that would

debut in the seventh edition of the International Flower Trade Expo (IFTEX) in Nairobi, thanks to the expected launch of direct Kenya flights to America in October.

Education44 young African leaders were urged to change the face of

entrepreneurship and leadership in Africa at the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) Washington Fellowship. Mount Kenya University’s (MKU) School of Pure and Applied Sciences won two research grants from Seeding Labs, a US-based non-profit work-ing to help scientists make discoveries that would improve life and the planet.

Science, Tech & InnovationMicrosoft launched its first software testing centre in Africa

through a partnership with IT firm Techno Brain in Kenya.

Entertainment Kenyan comedienne Anne Kansiime was set to perform in 10

states in the US starting in July. Kansiime would be the headliner of a series of comedy shows dubbed ’The African comedy tour.

Summary of daily issue coverage

Eastern Africa

The White House said the US would review assistance pro-grams to South Sudan citing frustration with the lack of progress in reaching a peace agreement to end the violence in the coun-try.

South Sudan’s government lashed out at the US after the Trump administration threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid amid the country’s grinding civil war.

The US denounced “violence, intimidation, and harassment” against those who oppose the referendum and expressed con-cern about the “non-transparent process” of changing the Burundi constitution.

US welcomed the recent crackdown on corruption by President Kenyatta’s administration. In a statement, American ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec said the vice had for long acted as a major impediment to the country’s development agenda.

The US imposed broad trade sanctions on Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Crimea, and had only recently lifted sanctions against Sudan.

The US government called for an end to renewed fighting between Somaliland and Puntland over the disputed border town of Tukaraq.

The April inauguration of Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister raised expectations for the future Ethiopia’s democracy, while far less publicized though relevant developments in the American capi-tal could also play a significant role in shaping that future.

Zambia report mentioned that American lawmakers were step-ping up the push to compel DRC President Joseph Kabila to respect his country’s constitution by leaving office as the consti-tution dictates and overseeing a free, fair and democratic trans-fer of power.

The US officially relocated its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Speaking to Al-Jazeera, Israeli Foreign Affairs minis-try said his nation had invited all the 86 countries that had diplo-matic missions within its borders to the opening of the US embassy, but only 33 including Tanzania sent their representa-tives.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

SouthSudan

Burundi Kenya Sudan Somalia Ethiopia DRC Tanzania

Analysis of News Categories

Politics

6

Eastern Africa

Early last year, after Donald Trump was sworn in as president, a little known American trade association filed a petition with the US Trade Representative. The current dispute, which also initially involved Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, received none of the attention of Trump’s trade war with China or his haggling with North American neighbours.

American construction company Bechtel Executive was a set to begin work on the Sh300 billion Nairobi-Mombasa expressway. The road would be built and owned by a private investor after the Kenyan government declined to take a loan to fund the mega highway.

Rwanda signed an agreement with an American firm, Swift-x Inc, to further build capacity and explore uses of drone tech-nology in Rwanda.

A US official said Sudan must “terminate all business ties” with North Korea before any talks could begin for removing Khartoum from the US “terrorism” black-list. The listing made international banks wary of doing business with Sudanese banks.

The UK’s crime prosecutor opened a for-mal bribery investigation into Glencore and its work with Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler and the leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A recent study said organisations that argued that the US conflict minerals reporting had negative effects on mining communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo used outdated data.

The Trump administration threatened to cut aid to South Sudan unless the coun-try’s civil war ended. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the US would begin reviewing its assis-tance to ensure the money does not con-tribute to or prolong the conflict.

Ethiopian Airlines was granted an addi-tional frequency on the Mombasa route in an agreement between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Kenya Rwanda Uganda Sudan Tanzania DRC SouthSudan

Ethiopia


Economy, Trade & Development

7

““The main objective for Rwanda is to see more compa-nies in the country produce clothes here ... It’s also about giv-ing Rwandans the dignity they deserve, not wearing second-hand clothes already used by other people.”

- Standard Media, 2 May 2018

8

Eastern Africa

The US Africa Command (Africom), which oversaw American troops on the African continent, said its special forces, in an advice-and-assist capacity, part-nered in a Somali-led operation to disrupt and degrade al-Shabab’s terrorist net-work near Bulcida on the outskirts of Afgoye in southern Somalia.

South Sudan regretted a decision by the White House to review all types of finan-cial support provided to South Sudan, saying such measures would encourage the opposition to resist regional efforts to end the civil war.

The US army planned to construct a hangar in Soroti District for the five UH-1H Huey II helicopters given to Uganda in 2017 by Washington as part of efforts to bolster the ongoing fight against al-Shabaab militias in Somalia.

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta held talks with a team of US senators led by James Inhofe of the Armed Service

Committee. Their discussions with President Kenyatta revolved around secu-rity in the horn of Africa and the threats posed by radical terror groupings like Al-Shabaab and ISIS.

In Burundi, the US denounced “vio-lence, intimidation, and harassment” against those thought to oppose the ref-erendum and expressed concern about the “non-transparent process” of chang-ing the constitution.

The US Chargé d’Affaires in Khartoum called on the Sudanese government to adopt new mechanisms to achieve sus-tainable peace in Darfur.

Ethiopia’s government planned to amend parts of the nation’s anti-terror law as the high court dropped terrorism charges against the heads of two US-based opposition groups.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Somalia SouthSudan

Sudan Kenya Uganda Ethiopia Burundi Rwanda


Peace, Security & Terrorism

“The United States was a proud and hopeful supporter of South Sudan when it gained indepen-dence in 2011 ... Seven years later, the leaders of this country have squandered this partner-ship ... killed their own people, and repeatedly demonstrated their inability and unwillingness to live up to their commitments to end the country’s civil war ... the United States is committed to saving lives but does not want its assistance to prolong the conflict or facilitate corrupt behavior by elites..”

- Reuters, 9 May 2018

9

Eastern Africa

Media coverage was dominated by reports on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). CNBC reported that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced that it had provided an initial $1 million to combat the Ebola outbreak in the DRC. In South Sudan, numerous reports focused on the US threatening to cut aid to South Sudan. Reports said South Sudan’s government urged the US not to “abandon” the country after Washington said it would review its assis-tance programs because it could not con-tinue a partnership with leaders perpetu-ating “endless war”. In Kenya, Business Daily reported that Kenya’s longest-estab-lished family planning clinic had lost 60 % of its budget for defying a Trump adminis-tration policy forbidding women’s health providers from offering information or ser-vices related to abortion. In Uganda, the US government announced a $408m

budget support to Uganda’s HIV preven-tion and treatment effort. The funding would be disbursed under the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The USAID concluded its Mulu Most at Risk Populations Project to combat HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia and launched a new follow-on project. In Tanzania, the US and Tanzania marked 15 years of partnership in the fight against HIV/AIDS through the PEPFAR. In Rwanda, the Yale Global Health Initiative launched a new immunization program in partnership with the University of Global Health Equity. In Burundi, reports focused on the BeyGood4Burundi initiative by Beyonce in partnership with Gucci to aid women and children.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

DRC SouthSudan

Kenya Uganda Ethiopia Tanzania Rwanda Burundi


Health & Food issues

“We have arguably the most enviable agricultural system in the world ... We’ve driven pro-ductivity through the roof. And we’ve done that because our farmers aren’t afraid of new tech-nology.”

- Qconline, 25 May 2018

10

Eastern Africa

American security agency officials con-ducted an audit of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport that would deter-mine the fate of direct flights between Nairobi and New York.

Reports stated that “My Africa” a film narrated by Lupita Nyong’o was expected to put Elephant conservation efforts in Kenya’s Samburu County on the global spotlight.

Ethiopian airway’s remarkable growth saw it having 100 planes flying to dozens of destinations from Asia to South America, including four US cities.

A US-based policy think tank reported that tens of thousands of Tanzania’s eth-nic Maasai people were homeless after the government burned their houses to keep the savannah open for tourism ben-efiting two foreign safari companies.

The one-hour film ’’ The Royal Tour’’ fea-turing President Paul Kagame showcas-ing key attractions made tour operators optimistic in their quest to make Rwanda attractive to high end western tourists.

A 65-year-old US tourist who had been gorilla trekking in the southwestern Ugandan district of Rubanda was killed in an attack by wasps, police said in a state-ment.

Ebola experts from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention were ready to go to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where an Ebola outbreak had spread to a major African city, increasing the risk of a global outbreak.

Reports said that Trump’s security driv-en approach saw him imposing a travel ban — currently affecting Somalia, Libya and Chad — to protect America against terrorist activities.

Kenya resisted imposing sanctions on South Sudan, despite pressure from donors, because it could damage the legitimacy of mediators involved. However Nairobi wanted to stick with the circuitous talks led by regional and inter-national actors including the US.

0

5

10

15

20

25

Kenya Ethiopia Tanzania Rwanda Uganda DRC Somalia South Sudan


Tourism, Travel & Leisure

“The documentary showcases the peace and stability Rwanda enjoys as well as its conserva-tion efforts, which should boost the country’s image. It will appeal to the type of tourists Rwanda is targeting, especially high-end tourists from the US ... A friend who lives in the US sent me a lengthy e-mail after watching the documentary, saying the film will have a great impact on the tour-ism sector.”

- AllAfrica.com,, 5 May 2018

Eastern Africa

The Nation reported that US confection-ery giant Mars Incorporated announced plans to set up a Sh7 billion factory at Athi River as part of the ongoing expansion of Wrigley, its chewing gum subsidiary.

Reports stated that the Wrigley Company, an American chewing gum manufacturer, planned to open 7 billion shillings ($69 million) new outlet later this year. The facility in Kenya would be the only one in Africa serving East African countries. Kenyatta said his government would continue to improve the country’s environment to do business.

Media reports said that Uganda signed a project framework with the Albertine Graben Refinery Consortium (AGRC), a special vehicle of Italian and American, to design, finance, construct and maintain the proposed refinery in Hoima District. US President Donald Trump’s principal voice on business Wilbur Ross described the oil refinery as a “major win for US

commercial interests in Uganda”.Rwanda signed an agreement with an

American firm, Swift-x Inc, to further build capacity and explore uses of drone tech-nology in Rwanda.

The African Report said that US firm, ExxonMobil had a deal with Norway’s Statoil on the Block 2 offshore gas field in Tanzania. In DRC, reports communicated that UK regulators investigated Glencore’s dealings with Dan Gertler, the billionaire Israeli businessman recently sanctioned by the US.

Other reports communicated that Sudan’s Ministry of Oil and Gas said it would receive the second batch of oil pieces of equipment from the US Baker Hughes.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Kenya Uganda DRC Rwanda Tanzania Sudan


Business & Investments

“We are expanding operations in the sector. We want to pro-mote the adoption and use of the drone technology. This part-nership will include training in the aspect as well as exploring real life use and adoption of drone technology in multiple aspects of the economy such as agricul-ture and health,” the minister said.”

- AllAfrica.com, 11 May 2018

11

Eastern Africa

In Kenya, Business Daily said Microsoft launched its first software testing centre in Africa through a partnership with IT firm Techno Brain in Kenya. Techno Brain Group CEO, Manoj Shanker said this had been as a result of two years of work between them and the Microsoft team.

Other reports indicated that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency released three foreign-made microsatellites, includ-ing the first Kenyan-developed satellite, from Japan’s Kibo experimental module at the International Space Station. The three microsatellites were transported to the ISS by a US spacecraft.

Minor reports said back in 2013, the US government began the initiative of improving Africa’s energy infrastructure. $14 billion later, “Power Africa” helped develop 90 projects with over 75% of them being renewable sources.

Minor internet news said Rwanda signed an agreement with an American firm, Swift-x Inc, to further build capacity and explore uses of drone technology in Rwanda.

The agreement was signed on the side-lines of the Transform Africa 2018

Summit. The agreement, among other aspects, lined up areas of cooperation between the Government and the firm for further advancements and development in drone technology to have socio-eco-nomic impact.

Reports in Tanzania said Morogoro Researchers at Sokoine University of Agriculture came up with a digital surveil-lance app to empower communities report infectious diseases that they were likely to find in their areas. Funded by a US-based organization, Ending Pandemics, the technology was devel-oped by a team of animal, human and ICT specialists.

In Uganda, New Vision stated that the US Department of Defence through its Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) offered to construct a state-of-the-art regional diagnostic laboratory for the National Agricultural Research Organisation.

0

3

6

9

12

15

18

Kenya Tanzania Rwanda Uganda


Science, Technology & Innovation

“The present infrastructure for a diagnostic laboratory in NARO does not have a biosecurity component, which resulted in the organisation having to send samples to other labs. This was time and money consuming according to Rutaisire ... the facili-ty will enhance biosafety and biosecurity standards and strengthen Uganda’s ability to detect, diagnose, conduct sur-veillance and enable reporting of emerging and re-emerging dis-eases of international concern..”

- New Vision, 13 May 2018

12

Eastern Africa

Reports on Kenya said elephant conser-vation efforts by a community in Kenya’s Samburu County were expected to bask in global spotlight after a virtual reality film about it was released worldwide. Narrated by Kenyan-born film star Lupita Nyong’o, the film, “My Africa” lets viewers experience life in Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, which rescues abandoned or orphaned baby elephants before return-ing them to the wild when they are strong enough to live on their own.

In other news, US based Kenyan song-stress, Mumbi, was reportedly back to Kenya and set to launch her debut EP “For The Culture” (released 30th of April 2018) from East Africa.

Known for her diverse sound that blends afro-house, soul, R&B and hip hop, Mumbi was set for her biggest career move that has now birthed the 5– track EP featuring the singles: “Yours”, “Intro”, “Soweto”, “Good Enough” and “Too Much”.

Rwandan reports said the country was experiencing a proud moment after one of her daughters emerged as the face behind one of the most viral songs of the moment by American artiste Childish

Gambino. Sherrie Silver was credited with choreographing the hit song “This is America” by Donald McKinley Glover Jr, also known as Childish Gambino, which had gone viral, garnering over 60 million views on Youtube in just four days, and a live performance on Saturday Night Live (SNL), one of the prime TV shows.

Ugandan comedian Anne Kansiime was set to perform in over 10 states in the USA starting this July. Kansiime would be the headliner of a series of comedy shows dubbed ’The African comedy tour. ’ Kansiime would lead a group of both cel-ebrated and upcoming comedians from Kenya and other parts of Africa.

Minor reports discussed activities of the Ugandan Watoto Children’s Choirs which travels the world, shining a light on the plight of Africa’s orphaned children. Each year, the choirs advocate for millions of African children currently orphaned by AIDS, poverty, and war. The children have performed before royalty and world lead-ers at venues including Buckingham Palace and the White House. This year the choir was said to be on a tour in the US.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Kenya Rwanda Uganda


Entertainment

“I hope all African countries and countries throughout the world, that we also will be supporting you, and that they will likewise support us in our bid along with Canada and Mexico for the 2026 World Cup ... We will be watching very closely, and any help they can give us in that bid we would appreciate.”

- Standard media, 2 May 2018

13

Eastern Africa

Capital FM reported that Kenya was among the countries that were selected by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program to host 55 African-born scholars. Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda would also be hosting the visiting fellows as they aimed to foster relations and research with local universities.

In Kenya, 44 young African leaders were urged to change the face of entrepre-neurship and leadership in Africa. The youths drawn from Kenya and South Sudan to participate in this year’s Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) Washington Fellowship were due to leave the country in June.

Mount Kenya University (MKU) was set to receive donations in form of scientific equipment from US company Seeding Labs. It was among 16 awardees selected in Seeding Labs’ 2018 Instrumental

Access program, to get equipment that would be used primarily for extensive sci-entific research purposes.

Other reports said that US Agency for International Development-USAID warned that Uganda’s education and health systems started falling due to chronic vulnerability and population explosion. A team of USAID officials issued the warning while meeting Rebecca Kadaga, the speaker of Parliament to discuss the USAID- Uganda country development cooperation. Mark Meassick, the USAID Country director told the speaker that the available services were not commensurate with the popula-tion, which explained the challenges in the health and education sectors and youths employment among others.


Education

14

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Kenya Tanzania Uganda SouthSudan

Ethiopia

“We are excited to take these young leaders to the United States but more importantly, are excited about the energy, cre-ativity, and drive they will bring back to Kenya after the fellow-ship ... I am sure that this pro-gramme has a bright future because it is having an impact. I am very grateful that we are able to do it and I look forward to the programme continuing,”

- Sudan Tribune, 13 May 2018

15

Southern Africa

Media coverage for the Southern African region driven by issues on politics, economy trade and development said, SA president Cyril Ramaphosa expressed disappointment at Trump’s withdrawal from his predecessor Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.

Ramaphosa said it was likely to raise the US president’s ire, especially as SA pressed ahead with plans to expand trade with Iran.

Significant reports highlighted that the Angolan govern-ment fired two of its senior diplomats for attending a gala din-ner celebrating the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

My Zimbabwe reported that President Donald Trump want-ed to cut foreign assistance dollars to countries who did not vote with the US at the United Nations (UN) — South Africa and Zimbabwe were cited among these countries.

On Business and investments, US firm Coca-Cola Company celebrated 70 years in Zimbabwe with the global company having been in operation for 132 years.

News 24 reported that an American football college team planned a pre-season trip to SA. The University of Michigan Wolverines coach said they would visit, Cape Town and Johannesburg before going on safari.

News Frames on science, technology and innovation said the U.S had committed to provide $750,000 in support of a partnership between the Energy Regulation Board and the U.S National Association of Regulation Utility Commissions aimed at increasing electricity generation capacity in Zambia.

Reports on education said 46 young South Africans would travel to the US to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship.

Analysis of daily issue coverage

16

Southern Africa

In South Africa, an American academic published an article on the impact of Trump’s foreign policy on SA President Cyril Ramaphosa’s efforts to repair the damage to his country’s governance by former President Jacob Zuma.

The Times reported that recent actions by US President Donald Trump’s adminis-tration were severely straining relations with South Africa’s new government led by President Cyril Ramaphosa. And rela-tions between the two governments were likely to worsen.

Other reports indicated that Institute for Security Studies chief executive, Jakkie Cilliers said US President Donald Trump’s announcements concerning Iran could negatively affect trade relations between South Africa and Iran, but only if he fol-lowed through on his threats of sanctions.

Minor internet news stated that US charge d’ affairs to Zimbabwe Mrs Jenifer Savage said the US was happy with the progress made with the new administra-tion in electoral law reforms and was look-ing forward to cementing its bilateral rela-tionship with Zimbabwe.

In some news, US President Donald Trump wanted to cut foreign assistance dollars to countries who didn’t vote with the US at the UN — and SA and Zimbabwe, Swaziland were among these countries.

The Guardian said the Angolan govern-ment fired two of its senior diplomats for attending a gala dinner celebrating the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

AllAfrica said the US would continue to stimulate the co-operation with Angola for the promotion of environmental tour-ism and wildlife in Angola.

Lusaka Times reported that Zambia was among African nations that attended cel-ebrations to mark the US embassy’s relo-cation from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

New Era said Namibia condemned Israel for the killing of 59 Palestinians in bloody clashes near Gaza, the deadliest day there since the 2014 war, as the US offi-cially opened its embassy in Jerusalem just 50 miles away.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

SouthAfrica

Zimbabwe Angola Zambia Namibia Africa -General

Swaziland


Politics

“It’s like an organisation from the US coming to President Cyril Ramaphosa and asking for help with President Donald Trump’s gun control laws ... Their role is to create a panic, peddle in fear. They say the government is going to take away all farms. It is a fundamentally racist group of people.”

- Al Jazeera, 15 May 2018

17

Southern Africa

Significant reports said South Africa was calling on steel and aluminium producers to engage US buyers to find other ways of doing business.

This followed US President Donald Trump’s decision not to grant SA an exemption on import tariffs. SA described the US move as unfair, say-ing some of the exempted countries were big steel and aluminium export-ers.

In Mozambique, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce launched Mozambique’s AGOA Utilization Strategy. Although AGOA was enact-ed in the year 2000, only $1 million of the $100 million of Mozambican exports into the US took advantage of AGOA’s duty free access.

The African Independent reported that an American economics profes-sor, said Zimbabwe’s lack of regard for property rights had been weigh-ing down the country’s economy for more than two decades.

Making a presentation during the

US Embassy ’’Food For Thought’’ ses-sion, Craig Richardson said Zimbabwe’s economy took a down-ward turn of -20% growth during the land reform programme. Media reports on Africa- General focused on the US-China trade woes.

Reports said adding to the woes were fears of fresh tensions between the US and China after the White House pledged to continue trade actions against Beijing which retorted it did not want a trade war, but equal-ly was not scared of one. Minor reports noted that Zambia was listed among the countries that joined the US in opening the embassy in Jerusalem.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

SouthAfrica

Mozambique Zimbabwe Africa -General

Zambiaa Morocco



“When we arrived at the UN last year, we said we would be taking names, and this list of voting records speaks for itself. President Trump wants to ensure that our foreign assistance dollars - the most generous in the world - always serve American interests, and we look forward to helping him see that the American people are no longer taken for granted ... the country that voted the most often with the US was Israel, while Zimbabwe was the country that voted with the US the least.”

- Bulawayo News 24, 3 May 2018

18

Southern Africa

Zimbabwe’s wildlife agency said it was investigating allegations that a South African national bribed officials to allow a Colorado-based tourist to take the ivory tusks of an elephant illegally shot in a Zimbabwe game park.

Their inquiry came after US prosecutors accused the South African, who was with a hunting party in Gonarezhou National Park in southern Zimbabwe, of paying up to $8,000 in bribes to Zimbabwean government officials to kill the elephant inside the park and to have the animal’s ivory released.

The University of Michigan Wolverines announced plans for a pre-season trip to South Africa. Jim Harbaugh, the head coach said the Wolverines will visit Cape Town and Johannesburg and go on a safari.

In Zambia, reports mentioned that according to the US Embassy wildlife conservation coordinator Gunner Hamlyn, ending poaching and wildlife trafficking needed the participation of

institutions that presided over matters involving people who came into conflict with the law regarding illegality on wild-life. Answering a question regarding wildlife trafficking and transnational crime in Africa, Hamlyn said the US gov-ernment had given a grant of US$1.4 mil-lion for Zambia to empower and support the judiciary.

Black travel movement continued to gain steam in the US, as more and more African-Americans sought to discover their cultural heritage via trips to parts of Africa. Reports stated that many of Africa’s notable tourism boards had neglected this new wave of travellers, however. The issue lied in the knowl-edge that most of these companies had a homogeneous view of US travellers — one that was dominated by the white American majority, according to travel news site Skift.

0

2

4

6

8

10

Zimbabwe SouthAfrica

Africa -General

Zambia



“In our discussions, we focused on how to take advantage of this moment. The U.S. and Angola relationship is steadily improving, and it can be expanded. Greater cooperation would benefit both our economies. We also dis-cussed the importance of con-servation, especially around the Okavango River Basin. Smart development is critical to pre-serving this rare ecosystem for Angola, Namibia and Botswana for years to come. I look forward to continued engagement with the people of Angola on these issues and anxiously await the launch of a Conservation Caucus in the parliament. We’ve got one shot to get this right.”

- Foreign Affairs Committee,

30 May 2018

19

Southern Africa

From Burkina to Zimbabwe, US aid cuts squeezed family planning services. The Marie Stopes Ladies who drove from village to village in the remote north of Burkina Faso offering free con-traception, advice on family planning, sexual health and sometimes post-abor-tion care, may have to stop work in June. The ten had been entirely funded by a $1.25 million grant from USAID but the US development agency cut all money for Marie Stopes International when it refused to comply with a rule reinstated by Republican President Donald Trump in January 2017.

In South Africa, the development of skills and networks for the youth, partic-ularly adolescent girls at risk for new HIV infections, was at the centre of a partnership between the American Peace Corps and associations in com-munities in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. They would also support activities to help youth build support among their peers, establish leadership skills, and learn about critical issues relevant to employment, American embassy spokesperson Caroline Schneider said.

In Zambia, Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo had commended the US government for its assistance to Zambia in the improvement of health services. Speaking when he handed over nine vehicles procured by the Centre for Disease Control to support provincial and district health offices, Mr Lusambo said Zambia and the US have enjoyed warm and cordial bilateral rela-tions.

Medicines360, the non-profit pharma-ceutical company behind the hormonal IUD Liletta, was on a mission to increase women’s access to reproductive care around the world. This month, the female-led company announced the launch of Avibela, a hormonal IUD, in Madagascar. In Madagascar, about 10 women die each day from complica-tions of pregnancy and childbirth, according to the US Agency for International Development.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8


Zambia Africa -General


Health & Food issues

20

Southern Africa

Global electrical engineering giants, China Power and General Electric launched a joint bid for a contract to construct the 2 400-megawatt Batoka Gorge hydropower project being co-de-veloped by Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The Coca-Cola Company celebrated 70 years in Zimbabwe with the global company having been in operation for 132 years. Coca-Cola East said the company took pride in being a part of Zimbabwe’s fibre for over 70 years.

An American expert in urban transfor-mation, Professor Toni Griffin was on a working visit to South Africa. For Griffin, the visit was also an opportunity to understand the way in which South African cities operated and how they used planning as a framework for deci-sion-making and transformative invest-ments which could address inequality.

The South African-based health, life and short-term insurance provider, Discovery was named in a new report by the Boston Consulting Group as one of the global challengers posing threat to the established industry leaders. With

more than 3 million members, Discovery Vitality was the world’s largest incen-tive-based wellness solution company and was active in US and other coun-tries.

The US government partnered with Zambia to increase electricity genera-tion capacity through the Power Africa Initiative, said USAID Zambia Deputy Mission Director Thomas Crubaugh.

Zambia prepared to host a high-profile trade seminar that would bring together private equity firms, financial institu-tions, commodity exchanges, as well as mineral and agribusiness companies. The landmark event was announced by the USAID, in collaboration with INTL FCStone, an American listed company.

The Angolan Ministry of Energy and Water invited representatives of the World Bank in Angola to discuss the possible entry of the African country in the Scaling Solar program, a scheme run by the same financial institution and aimed at unlocking private investment in emerging solar markets in Africa.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9


Zambia Angola Africa -General



“This morning, I received repre-sentatives from China Power and General Electric. They have shown great enthusiasm to move into Batoka (hydropower project) ... I do know my col-leagues would want to accept this development. I will consult and we will meet, as members of the Zambezi River Authority to discuss how we can speed up the programme.”

- The Herald, 14 May 2018

21

Southern Africa

In South Africa, US tech heavyweight John Robison joined the board of Xineoh, a South African AI startup which has developed a new type of automated, generalisable predictive algorithm that specialises in matching customers and products.

In Angola, the Angolan Ministry of Energy and Water (MINEA) invited rep-resentatives of the World Bank in Angola to discuss the possible entry of the African country in the Scaling Solar program, a scheme run by the same financial institution which was aimed at unlocking private investment in emerg-ing solar markets in Africa.

In Zambia, the USAID Southern Africa Energy Program (SAEP) collaborated with the Zambia Ministry of Energy and the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) to produce a geospatial tool to guide the advancement of the Zambia energy sector which identifies areas without power and presents the lowest-cost electrification options (grid extension,

developing mini-grids or installing solar home systems). Additionally, the U.S Government committed to provide $750,000 in support of a partnership between the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) and the U.S National Association of Regulation Utility Commissions (NARUC) aimed at increasing electricity generation capacity in Zambia.

In Zimbabwe, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the US was overlook-ing sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe in the early 2000s following reports of human rights abuses and election rig-ging by the Mugabe regime. Two Zimbabwean techpreneurs travelled to the USA for Facebook’s F8 conference intended for developers and entrepre-neurs who build products and services around the website.

0

1

2

3

4

Zambia Zimbabwe SouthAfrica

Angola


Science, Technology & Innovation

“This partnership between the ERB and NARUC signifies USAID’s interest in improving the landscape and to ignite increased investment in Zambia’s energy sector ... We believe the Zambian govern-ment and local agencies should build upon this development and consider how to strengthen the existing regulatory frame-work to expand the portfolio of energy resources.”

- News Diggers, 17 May 2018

22

Southern Africa

Reports revealed that the South African rising star, Reuben De Kooker was set to represent SA at the International Arts Talent Showcase in Orlando, Florida in the US at the end of July. During the interview, he empha-sised that he felt honoured for such an incredible opportunity to show how amazing South Africa was.

Media reports also said, a well-known South African entertainer, Zodwa Wabantu who recently travelled to the US said, she was scared that her trip would fail after being deported from Zambia in Lusaka in March. Zodwa explained to TshisaLive that she felt so relieved when she finally entered the US to show case what she does in South Africa.

Zambia Watchdog reported that Zambia’s Ambassador to the US Dr. Ngosa Simbyakula commended Zambian born US based guitarist Robert Mwamba for the promotion of his music industry in the US.

Dr. Simbyakula said he was delighted to note when Zambians made progress in their professional lives and careers.

During the Washington D.C Jazz Festival, Robert received an honour of being included as the first Zambian art-ists at an upcoming event.

Arts and Culture SABC News reported that a group of

South African photographers and visual artists, titled Pride and Loss managed to showcase their work in the USA and were currently displayed at the Jenkins Johnson Project Space in Brooklyn, New York.

Their work focused on issues affecting members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) com-munity.

Lebogang Mashifane emphasised that Pride and Loss also came as a remem-brance to the people who lost their lives through hate crimes.

0

1

2

3

4

South Africa Zambia Africa - General


Entertainment, Arts & Culture

“Yes, people still face discrimi-nation from the stares and side glances when you walking down the street, to homophobic utterances spewed by pastors, community leaders, and family members saying homophobic things in the household when-ever an LGBT character appears on TV even when they are very much aware that their child is LGBTI. These are all things that we might view as subtle but to be honest the end result will be a contributing factor during a homophobic brutal attack that leaves a young person raped and killed ... Apart from giving a glimpse into our lives, it also sends a message that it is important for us to tell our own stories and document our own community to own our voices and narratives. Being part of Inkanyiso collective has enabled us to do so.”

- SABC News, 10 May 2018

23

West Africa

US-West Africa’s media coverage was dominated by politics, security, trade, investments and health & food issues as well as entertainment.

Media reports said that President Muhammadu Buhari expressed satisfac-tion with the current level of relationship between Nigeria and US following the US’s reiteration of its commitment to pur-sue matters of common interest includ-ing the fight against terrorism, strength-ening democracy and trade ties with Nigeria.

US President Donald Trump confirmed the sale of 12 Super Tucano A-29 war-planes and weapons to Nigeria to help fight terrorism. US Ambassador to Cameroon, Peter Barlerin said his meet-

ing President Biya focused on the Anglophone crisis, Cameroon’s upcom-ing Presidential elections and health issues.

Citizen reported that Liberia was break-ing ranks with Africa and would support the joint bid of USA, Mexico and Canada over Morocco’s bid to win the hosting rights of the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Ghana news stated that Ghana did not honour an invitation from the US govern-ment to attend the inauguration ceremo-ny of the US New Jerusalem Embassy post.

Reports communicated Côte d’Ivoire said Côte d’Ivoire would receive $ 154 million from the US for the fight against AIDS.

Gambia Investment Export and Promotion Agency and USAID organised an AGOA workshop in US the Ambassador to The Gambia, C. Patricia Alsup reaffirmed commitment to restor-ing and expanding its trade links with The Gambia. Other reports said that Donald Trump sent a delegation to Sierra Leone, for the inauguration of the newly elected President Julius M. Bio.

Analysis of daily issue coverage

24

West Africa

Nigerian youths were congratulated by the US over the signing into law of the #NotTooYoungToRun bill by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Embassy of the US in Nigeria said America support-ed a free, fair and inclusive political pro-cess in Nigeria.

Two Cameroonian ministers respond-ed to remarks by the US ambassador who accused government of complicity in deadly violence in the restive Anglophone regions.

US Customs and Border Protection offi-cers intercepted a male Liberian posing as a US citizen at Washington Dulles International Airport. CBP was withhold-ing the man’s name because he was not criminally charged.

Ghana did not honour an invitation from the US government to attend the inauguration ceremony of the US new Jerusalem Embassy post. While Ghana and a host of other countries with diplo-matic representatives in Israel refused to attend, countries like Nigeria and Kenya.

Since becoming the chief tenant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, Donald Trump had

successfully made countless remarks. But as ironies go, the same Donald Trump was reportedly sending a delega-tion to Sierra Leone, for the inauguration of the newly elected President Julius M. Bio.

The US, three of its allies, Nigeria and 13 other African countries were putting the finishing touches on plans for the largest military exercise in Africa this year. The Department of Defence added that a 60-member planning group would be drawn from the countries.

The US Ambassador to The Gambia, C. Patricia Alsup presided over an African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) workshop in Banjul, using the opportu-nity to reaffirm the US government’s commitment to restoring and expanding its trade links with The Gambia.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Nigeria Cameroon Liberia Ghana SierraLeone

Coted'Ivoire

TheGambia


Politics

“Trump’s commitment towards assets recovery and reparation of looted funds was also demonstrated during the meet-ing ... There was a clear political goodwill and commitment that has now been given by the respective governments in terms of working together towards the repatriation of the looted funds and assets. To that extent, there have been clear directives for both attorney gen-erals to meet and have a road-map for the repatriation of the assets. That meeting is now slat-ed for tomorrow to work on the repatriation of over $500 million, which is ready for repatriation, subject to clearing the bureau-cratic bottlenecks.”

- Daily Telegraph, 1 May 2018

25

West Africa

Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari expressed satisfaction with the current level of relationship between Nigeria and the US. He reiterated the desire of the US to continue to pursue, matters of common interest including the fight against terrorism, corruption, trade and development.

President Muhammad Buhari said he was committed to removing barriers to US agricultural products in a meeting with President Trump.

The US and Ghana managed to sus-tain strong ties over the years, support-ed through huge investments in the local Ghanaian agriculture sector. Through the US Agency for International Development, projects amounting to millions of dollars were sunk into Ghana’s agriculture.

The US Ambassador to The Gambia, Patricia Alsup presided over an African

Growth and Opportunity Act workshop in Banjul, the Ambassador reaffirmed the US’s commitment to restoring and expanding its trade links with The Gambia.

US Ambassador to Cameroon, Peter Barlerin’s statement to Daily Cameroon focused on US cooperative ties with Cameroon, the Anglophone crisis and Cameroon’s upcoming Presidential elections.

The US benefits from foreign aid to Liberia were most apparent in the eco-nomic sector. Liberia imported a grow-ing percentage of US goods. US exports to Liberia increased 16.4 % between 2015 and 2016 and exports increased more than 132 % over the last decade.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Nigeria Ghana The Gambia Cameroon Africa -General

Liberia



“The Secretary noted the long-standing relationship between the Nigerian and American people and underscored the themes of the April 30 official working visit of President Buhari to the White House. He recognized Nigerian leadership across the African continent on priorities we share: countering terrorism and other threats to peace and security, cre-ating economic opportunity, fight-ing corruption, and advancing democracy and stability. The Secretary welcomed continued cooperation in advancing our nations’ mutual prosperity.”

- Weekly Trust,, 19 May 2018

26

West Africa

Significant media reports said that US President Donald Trump confirmed the sale of 12 Super Tucano A-29 warplanes and weapons to Nigeria to help fight ter-rorism. Other reports said that the US, three of its allies, including Nigeria and Ghana were putting the finishing touch-es on plans for the largest military exer-cise in Africa this year.

Reports added that Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Gambia and Sierra Leone were among the other African countries who would participate in the planned military exercise.

Modern Ghana reported that the US Government, through the Embassy, handed over police training equipment to the Formed Police Unit (FPU) of the

Ghana Police Service currently training for deployment to a peacekeeping mis-sion in South Sudan.

Other reports stated that US Ambassador to Cameroon, Peter Barlerin accused Members of Cameroon’s Military who combated insurgency in the two English speaking regions of looting and burning villages.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Nigeria Cameroon Ghana Liberia Coted'Ivoire

TheGambia

SierraLeone



“President Trump’s comment to President Buhari on the killings in Nigeria is very timely. We couldn’t have hoped for anything [more]. But I [would] rather also talk about what Buhari said. Buhari told President Trump that herds-men carry sticks and not guns, but that’s quite strange… It’s strange what Buhari said because the other week he was saying that the people killing Nigerians were trained by Muamar Gadaffi.”

- Persecution,, 3 May 2018

27

West AfricaBusiness & Investments

Vanguard reported that Mr Shah Mathias, the Founder of Ameri Metro Inc, based in the US, said that the com-pany was ready to invest over $10 bil-lion in the coastal rail project from Lagos to Calabar and Calabar to Port Harcourt.

IT Web said US-based crypto-curren-cy marketplace Paxful was looking to expand its business on the African con-tinent, taking on the likes of Luno. Paxful was a next-generation peer-to-peer marketplace for buying and sell-ing crypto-currencies.

Its leadership team recently visited SA, Nigeria and Ghana for further insight into the rapidly expanding African consumer base.

Department of State said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called President Muhamadu Buhari and reaffirmed the longstanding relationship between the US and Nigeria, US

New Telegraph said the Co-Chair of the US Nigeria Council and Chairman of Flour Mills Nigeria, John Coumantaros, lauded the council’s

support towards ensuring entrepre-neurial growth in Nigeria.

He stated this at the council’s annual spring reception and members’ dinner in Washington DC, USA.

Minor Internet Media said the United State promised to send American farm-ers to Nigeria in a bid to develop the agricultural sector in Nigeria.

President Donald Trump, who revealed this, also said he would subsi-dise whatever the farmers would need in order to remove any obstacles in the new relationship between Nigeria and the US as regards the agricultural sec-tor.

Minor internet news said after meet-ing with President Biya May 17, US Ambassador to Cameroon, Peter Barlerin’s statement to press focused on US cooperative ties with Cameroon, the Anglophone crisis and Cameroon’s upcoming Presidential elections.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Nigeria Cameroon

“We are here to do a presenta-tion on the high speed rail and other sustainable projects; our goal is to build a more modern rail, which we can start as soon as possible ... We are ready to invest 100 per cent, we have been told that the project is over $10 billion, we are going to build new rail track, bring in locomo-tives ... We are looking at the Lagos-Calabar coastal line and Port Harcourt, we are ready to take it over from the Chinese company since they have not been able to raise the money.”

- Vanguard,, 22 May 2018

28

West Africa

Numerous reports said many Nigerians had illegally crossed the Canada-US border illegally. Canada sent its immigration and refugee minis-ter to Nigeria, asking the Nigerian gov-ernment to help discourage its citizens from crossing into Canada, and asked the US to deny visas to people who might then go to Canada.

A Nigerian woman took the United Airlines to court, alleging that the carrier racially discriminated against her by removing her from her flight at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport after a fellow passenger complained that she had a “pungent” odour.

Ghana’s Ambassador to the US was caught in a cat and mouse game with the American authorities piling pressure on him to sanction the deportation of thousands of Ghanaians.

Dr Barfuor Adjei-Bawuah described as unfair pressure on him to give his approval for hundreds of Ghanaians to be sent home for violating US immigra-tion laws.

Ghana would regain its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category

one status by the close of 2018. The sta-tus would allow Ghana to fly its national carrier directly to the US after the airline was inaugurated.

A university student from Cameroon had applied for asylum after fleeing first to Nigeria, then traveling through Mexico to the US border in 2015.

The Ivory Coast inaugurated the direct line to New York, in the US and already planned to open an air link to Washington.

This first flight to North America came to sign the end of the “frustrations” of a whole country who was offended at not being able to rally directly to the first world power.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted a male Liberian posing as a US citizen at Washington Dulles International Airport.


0

5

10

15

20

25

Nigeria Ghana Cameroon Coted'Ivoire

Liberia

“We have already opened dis-cussions with Ethiopian to open other destinations in the United States ... We are working to ensure that in addition to New York, we can also from Abidjan go to Washington.”

- Financial Afrik,, 14 May 2018

29

West AfricaHealth & Food issues

Media reports stated that Minister of Health, Dr Isaac Adewole the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Stuart Symington, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the National HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Assessment Survey scheduled to start from June.

Numerous reports said Côte d’Ivoire would receive $ 154 million from the US for the fight against AIDS. Other reports mentioned that AidData, a research lab at William & Mary’s Institute for the Theory & Practice of International Relations received $2.95 million in funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to support a health-focused open geo-spatial data centre Côte d’Ivoire.

Media reports said U.S Ambassador to Liberia, Christine Elder had been vis-iting the A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine (AMD) of the state-owned University of Liberia in Monrovia.

Elder said Liberia’s national Health Workforce Program, a seven-year inter-ministerial initiative was designed to achieve targeted improvements in the quality and quantity.

President Biya agreed with US Ambassador to Cameroon, Peter Barlerin on the importance of welcom-ing US companies to Cameroon and treating them fairly.

Barlerin said they needed good coop-eration in the field of fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria, preventing, detecting and responding quickly to other infectious diseases like avian influenza.

Media reports stated that the US was a worthy example of agricultural excel-lence that Ghana could borrow a leaf from as they made efforts to galvanise an agricultural sector that, though full of promise continued to underwhelm.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Nigeria Liberia Cote d'Ivoire Cameroon Ghana

“The health ministry said the survey would put behind the concept of making guess work out of the burden of HIV in Nigeria ... We simply do not know how many people are infected with HIV and so this study will help us to determine how many people truly have HIV in Nigeria..”

- The Guardian, 11 May 2018

West Africa

30

Entertainment, Arts & Culture

Media reports said that the bid for the hosting rights of the 2026 World Cup took a diplomatic dimension as US president Donald Trump sought support from his Nigerian counterpart, Muhammadu Buhari who was on invi-tation to the US to support his coun-try’s bid.

One of Nigeria’s biggest music stars, Falz, released a video as a cover ver-sion of Childish Gambino’s viral video, ’This is America. ’ The new version was titled ’This is Nigeria’.

The video generated a storm online, including a reaction from hip-hop musician and entrepreneur Diddy, who shared it on his Instagram page,

propelling the video to worldwide rec-ognition.

Reports stated that around 20 girls from eight African countries, including Senegal would hope to press their claims to a lucrative career in the US at a training camp in Dakar as part of the ’NBA Academy’ initiative

Other reports said that Liberia was breaking ranks with Africa and would support the joint bid of USA, Mexico and Canada over Morocco’s bid to win the hosting rights of the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Nigeria Liberia Senegal

“I hope all African countries and countries throughout the world that we also will be supporting you and that they will likewise support us in our bid along with Canada and Mexico for World Cup.”

- Daily Trust,, 2 May 2018

31

North Africa

PoliticsThe US congratulated the people of Tunisia on the coun-

try’s first-ever free municipal elections. These elections repre-sented an important step in the consolidation of its democra-cy. As Tunisia met the democratic milestones set out in its constitution, the US continued to support Tunisia’s progress.

Peace, Security & TerrorismEgyptian Defense Minister met with a delegation of US con-

gressmen in Cairo to discuss means of enhancing regional security. According to a ministry statement, meeting partici-pants discussed means of bolstering bilateral cooperation and enhancing regional security.

The US and Libya’s Government of National Accord led by Fayez Al-Sarraj signed a security cooperation agreement in Tunisia.

Economy, Trade & DevelopmentThe Tunisian American Young Professional Association

organized a retreat on April 28- 29 in New York, bringing together more than 100 participants from all over the US and Canada. The event was a first of its kind opportunity to dis-

cuss ways to engage the Tunisian diaspora in the economic development of Tunisia and draw a roadmap for concrete actions that would be undertaken in the short and long run.

Tourism, Travel & LeisureThe Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman

Senate’s was holding up $300 million in US military aid to Egypt until Cairo helped pay for an injured American tourist’s medical bills and met several human rights conditions.

Arts & CultureThe US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.,

signed a cooperation agreement with the Archives of Morocco in Rabat to share materials on the Jews of North Africa during the World War II held by each institution.


32

North Africa

Minor reports said former Libyan lead-er Moammar Gadhafi was forcibly removed from power less than eight years after he cut a deal with the US to surrender his nuclear weapons. Numerous reports stated that Libya, under the late dictator Muammar Gaddafi agreed to abandon its nuclear program in 2003, Gaddafi was killed in 2011 following a popular revolt support-ed by NATO military action.

New York Times reported that Egypt’s most senior Muslim leaders denounced Washington’s move to shift the US Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, saying it amounted to a provocation for the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims. Other reports said President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Egypt nuclear deal focused understandable attention on the parties which negotiated it.

Numerous reports said the US Department of Defence recognized Morocco’s role as a strong and stable partner in North Africa.

Other reports said Moroccan and US militaries vowed to further cement their military cooperation.

The Donald Trump administration was siding squarely with Morocco regarding its occupation of the Western Sahara, suggesting that the unorthodox presi-dent was ready to shake up longstand-ing US policy toward the decades-old North African conflict.

The US had previously deployed drones or drone operations support per-sonnel to Tunisia to support operations over Libya.

National Defence Minister Abdelkrim Zbidi said Tunisia first relied on its own resources and capacities then on the support of such friends as the USA to meet possible challenges.

Other reports mentioned that Tunisian military had been heralded in interna-tional media for stabilizing the country after the 2010 uprisings, leading some to argue that it was responsible for the transition to democracy.

0

5

10

15

20

25

Libya Egypt Morocco Tunisia Africa - General



“In each of these cases, there was credible information indicat-ing they had transferred to, or acquired from, North Korea ser-vices or technology that are controlled by international or domestic agreements or other items that could make a material contribution to the development of weapons of mass destruction or missile proliferation.”

- i24news, 11 May 2018

33

North Africa

Aiming to throw the spotlight on the potential and importance of Egypt as a market for US softwoods, the Southern Forest Products Association and South-eastern Lumber Manufacturer’s Association recently concluded a market study - Emerging Markets Program Assessment: The Egyptian Market for US Softwoods. This was one of several Emerging Market Program projects that the US forest products industry undertook to reach potentially new emerging mar-kets.

Other frames noted that the US spent around 38% on long-term devel-opment aid and 35% on military assis-tance. Five countries - Afghanistan, Israel, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt received billions of dollars of military-related aid. To leave the continent now was to relinquish America’s veneer as a glob-al leader.

The US was to help Libya reform its electricity sector. In April the Libya Electricity Sector Reform Task Force

held its first meeting in Tunis. It was organized by USAID and Libya’s state-owned monopoly, the General Electricity Company of Libya.

Tunisia’s largest trade union was considering preventing the unloading and launching of American ships in the country’s ports in response to the US decision to transfer its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, according to the London-based newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.

Tunisia’s National Defence Minister Abdelkrim Zbidi said Washington would remain a strategic partnership for Tunisia and would keep undoubt-edly on underpinning Tunisia’s suc-cessful democratic transition and its political stability in a context of ongo-ing conflicts, he said at the opening of the 32nd session of the Joint Military Commission in Tunis.

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

Tunisia Egypt Libya



“ One of the sectors which shows potential for U.S. exports is the furni-ture industry centred around the tri-angle of Damietta, Alexandria, and Cairo. The furniture industry con-sumes huge volumes of solid wood, importing substantial vol-umes of beech and Spruce-Pine-Fir from Romania as well as oak from the Balkan states. The U.S. industry is convinced that American softwoods could rapidly gain a share of Egypt’s furniture production industry, as well as in the construction sector, given the large construction projects being planned over the coming years.”

- Zawya,, 21 May 2018

34

Media coverage on politics said the Foreign Ministry announced that Egypt had great concern on developments of the US decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCOPA) agreement between the P5+1 countries and Iran.

Xinhua reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry criticized the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

Donald Trump warned Kim Jong-un that North Korea would be destroyed if it does not agree on a nuclear deal, he said that Kim would be treated in the same manner as slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

10,000 protesters gathered in the western Moroccan city of Casablanca, they protested contrary to US and Israel, following the unveiling of the new US embassy in Jerusalem.

Tunisia condemned the US deci-sion to relocate its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Tunisia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that they condemned the killings in Gaza perpetrated by the Israeli army that targeted peaceful demonstra-tions for legitimate demands of the Palestinian people, including return to their land,” Tunisia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

US President Donald Trump called off a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un even after North Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test site. Trump announced his abrupt withdrawal from what would had been a first-ever meeting between a serv-ing US president and a North Korean leader in Singapore in a let-ter to Kim.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Egypt Libya Morocco Tunisia Africa - General


Politics

“ Egypt voices strong denuncia-tion of Israel’s use of force against Palestinian civilians and totally supports the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and first and foremost its right to an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

. . .

“The Tunisian Workers’ Party, believes that the embassy relo-cation translates into the burial of the Palestinian cause.”

- The Maghreb Times,

15 May 2018

North Africa

35

North AfricaAnalysis of News Categories

A delegation of US companies visited Egypt in October to discuss investment opportunities, according to US-Egypt Business Council Chairman Omar Mohanna.

The council organized meetings between the US delegates and Egyptian companies to discuss new investments or trade exchange in the fields of food, agriculture, manufactur-ing, and construction.

Reports focusing on Libya said Legg Mason Inc had reportedly sets aside

$67 million to settle US Libya probe.The funds were set aside as part of an

expected resolution of a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigation into activities of a hedge fund unit that man-aged money for the Libyan government of Muammar Al Qaddafi.

Negotiations to close investigations of Legg Mason’s Permal Group were expected to be completed “shortly,” the Baltimore-based asset management firm said in a filing early June.

Legg Mason said it accrued a $67 mil-

lion charge for the year ended March 31, including $31 million earned by Permal managing money for Libya.

The investments were made in calen-dar years 2005 to 2007 and terminated no later than 2012. In 2016, Legg Mason combined Permal with EnTrust Capital, another alternative asset man-agement affiliate, to form EntrustPermal.


Reports revealed that the top Democrat on the Senate’s powerful spending panel was holding up $300 million in US military aid to Egypt until Cairo helped pay for an injured American tourist’s medical bills and met several human rights conditions. Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., a per-sistent critic of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government, shared several conditions with the State Department for the aid to be released, his office confirmed. These include providing compensation for April Corley, a US cit-izen who was grievously injured when Egyptian forces mistakenly bombed a

group of tourists in Egypt’s western desert in 2015. The strike killed eight Mexican nationals and four Egyptians. The tourists and tour company workers were killed by US-made Apache attack helicopters, and Leahy was also demanding that US officials and the media had access to Sinai and other areas where US military equipment was used.

A Morrocan 3000-meter steeplechase world vice-champion, Soufiane El Bakkali, was prevented from going to the US to take part in the Eugene Diamond League. The US diplomat who refused to issue the visa had offered some explanations.

Contacted by Morocco World News, the US Embassy explained that a P-1 visa was required for anyone traveling to the US temporarily to perform in a specific athletic competition as an ath-lete, individually, or as part of a group or team, at an internationally recog-nized level of performance.

Despite a letter of invitation and promise of the special P-1 procedure from the organizers, the athlete had still not received his passport. El Bakkali missed the Diamond League competi-tion, which took place May 26 in Eugene, Oregon, USA.


africa media analysis report - wits university

Documents