Africa (except North Africa)

LUANDA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Angolan President Joao Lourenco said Friday that Angola would continue to invest in the country's telecommunication sector with more satellites and infrastructures to ensure that the sector helps develop the country.

The Angolan president made the statement after inaugurating the Satellite Control and Mission Center located in Luanda Province. The center will monitor and operate the country's first on-orbit satellite, Angosat-2.

ACCRA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and Trademark Africa (TMA), signed a partnership agreement here Friday night to facilitate the development of trading infrastructure across Africa to boost trade.

A memorandum of understanding between the two parties was signed during the ongoing Africa Prosperity Dialogue in Accra, the capital of Ghana.

Wamkele Mene, secretary general of AfCFTA, said he expected the partnership to help improve the collective competitiveness of all countries under the continental free trade agreement.

LUSAKA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Zambia has recorded its first four cholera cases and one death in the eastern part of the country, a government official said on Thursday.

The Ministry of Health has received an alert indicating a cholera outbreak in Vubwi District of Eastern Province since Jan. 22, Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo told journalists during a press briefing.

She said so far four confirmed cases and one death have been recorded in the district, while another seven suspected cases were being investigated.

25 Jan 2023; MEMO: Guyana is in talks with Qatar, UAE, Britain and India to explore offshore oil and gas blocks in conjunction with a bidding round this year, President Irfaan Ali said on Monday.

"We have been toying with a number of options," Ali said on the sidelines of an energy conference in Trinidad and Tobago. "We have gone out publicly with the bid round (and) there is also that room we are looking at for government-to-government collaboration."

LUANDA, January 25. /TASS/: The topic of creating a BRICS currency will be discussed at the summit of the association in late August, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters after talks with President of Angola Joao Lourenco.

LAGOS, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- The first phase of a China-built electric-powered light rail project in Nigeria's southwestern state of Lagos was officially open for service on Tuesday.

Undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) since 2010, the completed tracks of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue Line project span 13 km in the first phase and cover five stations.

MBABANE, January 24. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that wherever he travels the West seeks to make the host country behave in a way that’s desirable to the US.

PRETORIA, Jan 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South Africa has defended its decision to hold a joint military exercise with Russia and China next month.

Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor condemned the “double-standard” which says some countries can perform such exercises but others are not.

“All countries conduct military exercises with friends worldwide,” Pandor added at a press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Pretoria.

The event attracted a small group of protesters outside the venue, waiving Ukrainian flags.

LAGOS, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday inaugurated the iconic Lekki deep seaport in the southwestern state of Lagos for operation, noting that the new maritime facility opens a new vista of economic development for the African country.

Constructed by the China Harbor Engineering Company Ltd., the Lekki Deep Sea Port is the first deep seaport in Nigeria, and one of the biggest in West Africa.

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, on the second leg of an African tour aimed at promoting American investment and ties, said on Monday it’s crucial to immediately address Zambia’s heavy debt burden with China.