- The government of Kenya is rolling out emergency plans to avert hunger to almost half of the country's popullation due to food shortages as a result of drought.
President Mwai Kibaki announced today that some 10 million Kenyans were in urgent need of food, urging his cabinet to urgently start working out strategies and mapping a national emergency plan.
Kenya had already sanctioned importation of 5 million bags of Maize duty free to meet the country's deficit while also rolling out a government supported programme to boost production for the next cropping season, which include subsidised inputs to farmers.
The government is also planning to distribute food to the most affected regions of the country, adding to efforts already undertaken by humanitarian agencies such as the World Food Programme.
Kenya is still recovering from the post 2007 election violence which left over a thousand people dead, while the country was one of the first to be hit by riots as a result of hikes in food prices last year.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.