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By Sharon Atieno African countries bear the biggest brunt of fake medicines, accounting for nearly three in 10 medicines circulating the market. As a result, more than 100,000 Africans are losing their lives, a new report reveals. According to the white paper titled “Securing the Medicine Distribution Network in Africa,” majority of these medicines include antimalarials, antibiotics, painkillers (particularly opioids), HIV antiretrovirals and genitourinary medicines. Anti-inflammatories and blood-derived products are also affected. A 2023 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report on trafficking in medical products in the Sahel found that between 72,000 and 169,000 children die each year from pneumonia treated with subpar or fake antibiotics. Worse still, of the one million annual deaths caused by malaria, 200,000 could be avoided if patients were treated with genuine medicines, according to a 2018 Le Figaro report. The white paper...

… US$300 million medical facility, developed by Afreximbank inaugurated Africans can now heave a sigh of relieve after many years of seeking medical care abroad. The inauguration of the African Medical Centre of Excellence in Abuja marks a transformative milestone in Africa’s healthcare sector, promising to alleviate the burden of medical tourism and retain billions in healthcare spending within the continent. For decades, a significant number of Africans have sought specialized treatment abroad, incurring exorbitant costs and straining national health systems. With an estimated savings of $6 to $10 billion annually, the Centre’s establishment directly addresses the urgent need for advanced medical infrastructure, aiming to reduce reliance on overseas treatment and provide world-class healthcare services locally. Equipped with cutting-edge technology and staffed by leading medical professionals, the facility is set to become a beacon of hope for patients requiring spe...

During the first world war (1914-1918) thousands of African men enlisted to fight for France and Britain were captured and held as prisoners in Germany. Their stories and songs were recorded and archived by German linguists, who often didn't understand a thing they were saying. Now a recent book called Knowing by Ear listens to these recordings alongside written sources, photographs and artworks to reveal the lives and political views of these colonised Africans from present-day Senegal, Somalia, Togo and Congo. Anette Hoffmann is a historian whose research and curatorial work engages with historical sound archives. We asked her about her book. How did these men come to be recorded? About 450 recordings with African speakers were made with linguists of the so-called Royal Prussian Phonographic Commission . Their project was opportunistic. They made use of the presence of prisoners of war to further the...

The future of the African Union mission in Somalia hangs in the balance, as the US maintains it will only fund if Europe and Africa share the burden. The US maintains African states and Europe must share the funding responsibility for the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia. Responding to a question on the funding by the Star, Commander of the US Africa Command, General Michael Langley said African states must take responsibility for their own security — insisting on “burden sharing”. “As resources are rebalanced globally, it is essential that all partners around the world – Africa included – take more ownership in their regional and continental security”. “I know that the AU and the UN are working to solve these problems, but from a security perspective and more operational perspective that I bring, we do wish for the sustainability of long-term stability in Somalia. The US supports Somalia on building Somali...