You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Host Esther Githui-Ewart and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis.
Top Stories:
Nigerian officials say the pandemic's impact on the economy and social distancing have tripled the number of mental health cases. In response, Nigeria has launched the first toll-free, 24-hour helpline staffed by trained psychologists and counselors.
Sudan will restrict all travelers who have visited India within the prior two weeks, according the country's health emergency committee. The committee also warned that total COVID-19 cases in the African country could top the 100 thousand mark by mid-June if restrictions were not imposed. The country's fragile health system has been strained by the coronavirus epidemic, with patients struggling to access hospital beds, oxygen and medications.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday welcomed African leaders and the heads of multilateral lenders in Paris for a summit aimed at finding ways of financing African economies hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. The leaders also discussed how to handle the continent's billions of dollars debt.The African Development Bank estimates that as many as 39 million people could fall below the poverty line this year with many African countries at risk of debt distress because of the pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on people’s mental health causing a wide range of fears over the past year of precautions, protocols and lockdowns and isolation. Esha Sarai and Vero Balderas met with several Americans to discuss their experiences roughly a year into the pandemic.
Spain deployed troops to Ceuta on Tuesday to patrol the border with Morocco after around eight thousand migrants, entered the enclave on Monday and Tuesday, by swimming in or climbing over the fence. Many of the migrants are from Sub-Saharan Africa and include fifteen hundred minors. Armored vehicles were guarding Ceuta's beach on Tuesday, and soldiers and police used batons to clear migrants from the beach and threw smoke bombs to discourage others from crossing.Spain said approximately four thousand migrants had already been sent back to Morocco, under a readmission deal.
Angola’s Petro de Luanda and Mali’s AS Police made their debuts in the Basketball Africa League, but it was Petro who came out on top with an 84-66 victory. In the tournament's closest game so far, Morocco’s AS Sale defeated Cameroon’s Forces Armées et Police Basketball 87-84 victory. Our Jackson Mvunganyi has the highlights.
Cement production is estimated to account for 8 percent of global CO2 emissions. In Senegal one firm is turning to the soil for bricks that it says are more eco-friendly and make cooler homes.
In India, the healthcare crisis triggered by the ferocious second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is shifting from the big cities to small towns and villages. Health experts say combating the spread in rural areas where two thirds of the country lives, has emerged as India’s new challenge.
An Awarding winning Ghanaian Technopreneur and Software Developer is trying to make her mark on the tech scene in the West African nation of Ghana. She is using technology as a tool to teach and mentor young people and women with computer skills to overcome daily challenges is just remarkable. Africa 54 Technology Correspondent Paul Ndiho, via Skype, spoke to Sandra Juliet Ahiataku, Program Manager, Viamo, in Accra, Ghana.
#Nigeria #Sudan #Macron #Spain #Morocco #COVID-19 #Angola #Mali
