Africa's free trade area was first tested with batteries and tea
The African Union launched the AfCFTA in 2018. It took effect in 2021, and its first pilot trades in 2022 showed how slowly a single market gets built.
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One yellow fever jab now covers a traveller for life
Many countries in Africa and South America want proof of yellow fever vaccination at the border. Since 2016 the certificate has stayed valid for life.
Eritrean fighters took Asmara in 1991. The vote came two years on
Eritrea's 30-year war with Ethiopia ended when rebel fighters marched into Asmara on 24 May 1991. A UN-supervised referendum in 1993 made independence formal.
How a fish thought extinct turned up on a trawler
In 1938 a South African museum curator found a coelacanth on a fishing trawler. Textbooks said the fish had died out with the dinosaurs.
The UK is cutting aid to its lowest share of income since 1999
Britain's aid spending is set to fall to 0.3% of national income by 2027 to pay for defence. Aid to Africa falls by more than half, and polio funding ends.
De Gaulle was the hard-liners' hope. He let Algeria go
France called Algeria an integral part of the nation and fought from 1954 to keep it. The FLN won in 1962 by diplomacy, once de Gaulle negotiated peace.
UN votes to retire the Mercator map for Equal Earth
The UN voted 164 to 1 to phase out the Mercator map, which shrinks Africa to the look of Greenland, in favour of the 2018 Equal Earth projection.
In Morocco's souks, banter comes before the better price
In a Moroccan souk nearly everything is negotiable. The price a shopper pays turns on banter, patience, and whether a guide on commission is standing there.
Nigeria built Abuja to escape the politics of Lagos
Nigeria moved its capital from Lagos to Abuja, chosen as neutral ground. About 300,000 people lived there, and many evicted families still await compensation.
Ethiopia finished its Nile dam, but Egypt still has no deal
Ethiopia launched its Nile dam in 2025 with no deal on running it. Egypt cites 1929 and 1959 treaties giving it a Nile veto, which Ethiopia never signed.
Lake Chad has lost nine-tenths of its water since the 1960s
Sahel drought and rising irrigation demand cut Lake Chad to a tenth of its 1960s size. A two-year study found the shrinking stopped decades ago.
Africa's crust has thinned to 13km at the Turkana Rift
Columbia geologists found crust at a stage called necking under Kenya and Ethiopia. They suggest the Indian Ocean could follow in a few million years.
Mutinous soldiers failed to oust Niger's military ruler
Soldiers moved against General Tiani on 29 August and lost. Nigeria denies backing the attempt, and Niger's oil-driven growth rolls on regardless.
The African Union depends on outsiders to pay for peacekeeping
The African Union and its partners run ten peace operations. A UN official said in 2009 that their funding rests on the UN or a small pool of donors.
Houthi attacks pushed global shipping around Africa
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea led the biggest container lines onto the longer route around Africa. It adds 10 to 12 days and about $1m in fuel per ship.
Ethiopia's constitution builds each state around an ethnic group
Ethiopia's 1995 constitution built its states on ethnicity, and lets any group that qualifies form its own. It has not stopped border violence.