Rodgers Oloo Magutha popularly known as Nairobi Birdman, gets ready to feed some of the wild birds under his care at his one-room flat in Kayole, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Nairobi.

Photo: Luis Tato/AFP

Warming has brought extreme rainfall to the parched African Sahel, which is seeing aquifers refill after decades of drought. But heavier downpours alone cannot explain the groundwater revival. Experts say efforts to harvest rainfall may also be paying dividends.

Turkish naval vessels are continuing to escort and protect a drilling fleet operating off Somalia’s coast, Türkiye’s National Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry said TCG Goksu, TCG Gelibolu and TCG Bartin, deployed as part of the Somalia Naval Task Group, are providing security for the Cagri Bey drilling ship.

The vessels are also escorting the Korkut, Altan and Sancar support ships, the ministry said in a statement posted on Türkiye’s social media platform NSosyal.

The ministry said the escort and protection mission remains ongoing.

Cabo Verde was the breakout star at this year’s Fifa World Cup, but their great run was no fluke. In the capital city Praia, Bola Pra Frente, or the “Ball Forward” Academy, was founded in 2010 and quickly established itself as a top national development centre. The academy was an early training ground for several players on the 2026 men’s World Cup team, including defender João Paulo Fernandes and midfielder Kevin Pina, who notched Cabo Verde’s first World Cup goal in a group-stage match against Uruguay.

Around 240 players aged between four and 17 train at Bola Pra Frente, all of whom were eagerly following the Blue Sharks’ recent sterling showing in their World Cup campaign. The team bested African heavyweights Cameroon and Angola in qualifying rounds, topping their group by four points.

Then, they were unbeaten in their group at the main tournament, drawing with behemoths Spain and Uruguay, and becoming the smallest country ever to advance to the knockout rounds. They gave defending champions Argentina an almighty scare in the knockout game, though Argentina eventually squeaked through in extra time.

There are more than 20 football academies in Praia itself, and more yet scattered across the 10 volcanic islands that make up the archipelago. Financial constraints mean that many top junior talents seek better development overseas, especially in Portugal. However, Silvéria Nédio, the academy’s head coach, believes that exposing players to these opportunities abroad will ultimately benefit the country.

Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly considering military action against an al-Qaeda-linked group in Mali, what could be the eighth country targeted by the president since he returned to office last year.

The administration is weighing strikes against JNIM, or Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks and kidnappings since announcing its formation in 2017. The group, which is allied with al-Qaeda, has increasingly attacked nearby West African nations, including a lethal attack at an airport in Niger’s capital last month, while terrorizing Mali’s interior with fuel blockades and sieges.

West African leaders have backed the long-awaited Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline, a proposed nearly 6,800-kilometer energy corridor that would run along Africa’s Atlantic coast through 13 countries.

They say the artwork reflects the artist but my work reflects the faces I grew up seeing. The faces of my family, friends, and strangers I’ve come across in this beautiful continent. I aim to celebrate them 🫶
The last slide’s a WIP 😆

(Full article below)

Traore Calls For Change

Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traore on Friday called on Africans to reject the remnants of colonialism and imperialism by prioritising local production and reducing dependence on imported goods.

“Hey, Africans, are we not going to wake up? Can’t we work for ourselves and then feed ourselves and continue consuming what comes from elsewhere without even knowing what is inside?” he asked during a meeting with national forces in the city of Ouahigouya.

Traore criticised the consumption of imported goods, arguing that Africans should produce, process and consume more of what is made on the continent.
“They will continue to finish us off one way or another, and that’s what I’m telling you here – through products we inject and everything,” he warned.

Warning Against Dependence

The leader maintained that modern forms of exploitation still existed and argued that imperialism should be challenged regardless of where it originated.

“I am speaking of Africans in general, of Black people, of our history, of our current situation. Because slavery is not over. People continue slavery,” Traore claimed.

“Imperialism has no colour […] we must have the courage to identify it and fight against it,” he urged

The military leader also argued that centuries of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade had left Africans psychologically dependent on former colonial powers, which he described as a form of ‘Stockholm syndrome’.

Push For Self-Reliance

“They traumatised us so much […] that now we love them ourselves,” he added. “If we don’t become aware of this, we are lost. We are finished.”

Burkina Faso’s push for greater self-reliance mirrors a regional shift across the Sahel, where governments have demanded a reduced French military and political presence while calling for new partnerships and greater control over their own resources.

There is a popular belief among some leaders that developing countries can bypass traditional manufacturing and jump straight into tech, finance, or service-based economies, but history proves otherwise.

No major economy has ever escaped mass poverty without industrial growth. Looking at East Asia, nations like South Korea and China lifted hundreds of millions into the middle class not through call centers or apps, but by opening factories that provided reliable, accessible jobs for everyday workers. Manufacturing remains the single most reliable engine for absorbing the millions of young people entering the African labor market each year.

Yet, many African policymakers still fail to factor this into their long-term planning. Across much of the continent, manufacturing accounts for a surprisingly small percentage of GDP, while energy production remains far too low to power heavy industrial grids. Instead of fixing these core structural bottlenecks, there is widespread reliance on the idea that services or raw material exports can drive sustainable growth.

Processing local resources internally,turning cocoa into chocolate or unrefined minerals into finished goods, keeps high-value profits and jobs at home, while formal factories create a dependable tax base for public infrastructure without relying on foreign debt. Tech and tourism are helpful, but building lasting prosperity still requires physically making things. Oil, gold, lithium, and other extractive minerals will also not develop the economy

Im a Congolese women dating an American man, I just wanted to know if there were any other Congolese or even African women in my position thinking that ‘La dote’ was ridiculous in this economy. I was born in Congo but raised in America mind you. My family was telling us the price and I just thought it was ridiculous in this economy and they told me as the women I’m not allowed to discuss the price. It was already a big deal whenever I moved in with a man before marriage but now I’m just like why are we getting pressured to getting married and having to pay beaucoup money? I just need advice honestly.

In Canada, You'll see this drink in the hands of most Africans, especially from Ghana and Nigeria. What's up with Burkina Special?

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Starlink is often presented as a major solution to Africa’s internet-access problems, particularly in rural areas and places with limited fixed infrastructure. However, I am beginning to wonder whether its value depends heavily on where and how it is used.

My experience in Botswana has been mixed. Download speeds are generally good, and the connection does not appear to be reduced halfway through the month in the way I have experienced with some local mobile packages.

However, uploading large content files to Google Drive can still take days. Coverage inside a brick house is also limited, and extending it properly may require additional mesh equipment, which substantially increases the overall cost.

For someone living in an area without reliable alternatives, Starlink may be transformative. In an urban area with other providers, I am less convinced that it always justifies the equipment and subscription costs.

What has the experience been in your African country? Is Starlink delivering a meaningful improvement, particularly for uploads and indoor coverage, or has some of its reputation become more about status than performance?

The story of the first son is about the kings nephew who finds favour in the eyes of the king to the point where the king wants his nephew to be the protector of kemet which has caused jealousy in the heart of the queen of kemet who now has to fight to ensure that her son becomes the rightful heair to the throne.#kemeticknowledge #kemet #egypt #kemeticspirituality

https://youtu.be/be909gVe5TU?si=CBohN7XwsP8-8HuR

Swiss food giant Nestlé is facing criticism over the sugar content of Cerelac, its infant cereal brand sold in Africa. An investigation by the NGO Public Eye found that while the product is sold without added sugar in Europe, African versions can contain up to 15 percent sugar.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), added sugar offers no nutritional benefits and may instead encourage early dependency, with potentially serious health consequences.

In the Ivory Coast, civil society groups are mobilising as the country faces a twin burden: child malnutrition alongside a sharp rise in cases of diabetes and obesity.