NPR News -Africa

February 28, 20247:41 PM ET
Enlarge this imageSpeaker of Ghana Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin speaks at the Parliament House in Accra, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Ghana’s parliament passed a highly controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill on Wednesday that could send some people to prison for more than a decade.

Misper Apawu/AP

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Speaker of Ghana Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin speaks at the Parliament House in Accra, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Ghana’s parliament passed a highly controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill on Wednesday that could send some people to prison for more than a decade.

Misper Apawu/AP

ACCRA, Ghana — Ghana ‘s parliament passed a highly controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill on Wednesday that could send some people to prison for more than a decade.
The bill was introduced to parliament three years ago and criminalizes members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as its supporters, including promotion and funding of related activities and ..

February 26, 20248:46 AM ET
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Scovian Lillian for NPR

Scovian Lillian for NPR

Mary Gachoki had learned about autism spectrum disorder from a caregiving course she’d taken in college. When her son was 2 years old, she recognized that he was displaying traits associated with this neurological condition. He wasn’t making eye contact, he stopped talking and he began flapping his fingers – a common behavior for people with autism as they seek to calm themselves.
Deep down, the 34-year-old single mom knew he likely had autism. But, she says, she was in denial.
When she did get a diagnosis, she says, the news “felt burdensome because I am a single mother. I am not strong mentally. I need support and reassurance that [my son] will be okay someday.” (Editor’s note: We are not naming the children in this story to protect their privacy as we discuss their condition.)
Challenges for parentsAround the world, parents like Gachoki often struggle to find reliable informa..

February 25, 20245:00 AM ET
Enlarge this image74-year-old Lenval Skiers at his home in Pan-African Village, in Asebu.

Jude Lartey for NPR

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Jude Lartey for NPR

74-year-old Lenval Skiers at his home in Pan-African Village, in Asebu.

Jude Lartey for NPR

ASEBU, Ghana — Nestled in the sleepy town of Asebu, a few miles inland from the Atlantic along Ghana’s Cape Coast, lies a serene 5,000 acre rural settlement. A mud road at the entrance weaves through a dense, green landscape of dozens of homes and partially built concrete structures, enveloped by miles of farmland and palm trees.
“Nobody’s ever lived here before,” says 74-year-old Lenval Skiers, from the sun-lit lounge of his six-bedroom home and guesthouse. “It was me alone in the forest. It was idle land, but I braved it.” From his wide-set balcony on the second floor, Skiers points to his large garden, full of clusters of cassava, avocado and sugar cane. Beyond lies Pan-African Village, a..

February 16, 20245:07 PM ET

World record marathon runner Kelvin Kiptum died on Sunday. Kenya has been celebrating the life and explosive career of the 24-year old marathon runner.

February 16, 202410:58 AM ET
Content Warning: The following story references graphic violence and descriptions of murder.
Enlarge this imageActivists march through the Central Business District of Nairobi on Jan. 27 at a demonstration calling for government action to address the murders of young women.

Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

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Activists march through the Central Business District of Nairobi on Jan. 27 at a demonstration calling for government action to address the murders of young women.

Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

Hashtags like #WeAreNotSafe, #StopKillingWomen and #EndFemicideKE are trending in Kenya.
They reflect an intense national debate over a series of murders that have rocked the country. In the month of January, 30 women were murdered, according to data compiled by the grassroots organization Usikimye (Swahili for “don’t be silent”), whose mission is to end gender-based violence, workin..

February 16, 20245:10 AM ET
The brutal decades-long conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is moving into a new phase, and the city of Goma is in the crosshairs of the violence.
Enlarge this imageThousands who are fleeing the ongoing conflict between government forces and M-23 rebels reach the entrance the Democratic Republic of Congo eastern city of Goma.

Moses Sawasawa/AP

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Thousands who are fleeing the ongoing conflict between government forces and M-23 rebels reach the entrance the Democratic Republic of Congo eastern city of Goma.

Moses Sawasawa/AP

Ruth Alonga and Sammy Mupfuni in Goma

February 15, 202412:43 PM ET
Enlarge this imageJanine Kibwana, Ebola survivor and mother of five, sits in her living room in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Researchers studying the DRC’s most recent Ebola outbreak say that a new vaccine can dramatically reduce the risk of dying from the disease.

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Janine Kibwana, Ebola survivor and mother of five, sits in her living room in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Researchers studying the DRC’s most recent Ebola outbreak say that a new vaccine can dramatically reduce the risk of dying from the disease.

John Wessels/AFP via Getty Images

There’s welcome news in the battle against the Ebola virus, an infectious disease that for years had almost no treatments or remedies.
Outbreaks of the deadly Ebola virus flare up in parts of Africa almost every year, and they’re vicious.
“When you see a person who has Ebola, you don’t nee..

February 12, 20244:22 PM ET
While millions of fans were watching the super bowl in the U.S., billions have been watching the African cup of nations soccer tournament and Sunday’s final between hosts Cote D’Ivoire and Nigeria.
Enlarge this imageCote D’Ivoire players celebrate after winning the African Cup of Nations final soccer match between Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire, at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Sunday, Feb. 11

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Cote D’Ivoire players celebrate after winning the African Cup of Nations final soccer match between Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire, at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Sunday, Feb. 11

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February 12, 20249:05 AM ET
Enlarge this imageFighters ride in a vehicle moving in a military convoy accompanying the governor of Sudan’s Darfur State on Aug. 30, 2023.

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Fighters ride in a vehicle moving in a military convoy accompanying the governor of Sudan’s Darfur State on Aug. 30, 2023.

AFP via Getty Images

The United Nations warns that the conflict in Sudan has caused one of the world’s largest human displacements.
It began about 10 months ago, when the Sudanese military and a powerful paramilitary group began fighting each other for political control.
Last week, the U.N. pleaded for more aid to the region. It said the fighting had displaced more than 10 million people — many of them fleeing to neighboring countries. It’s also left 18 million people facing acute food insecurity.
Africa Sudan’s war passed 6 months, with much of the world consumed by other conflictsJames Elder is a spokesperso..

February 12, 20247:17 AM ET

While millions of football fans were focused on the Super Bowl in the U.S., billions of soccer fans were watching the Africa Cup of Nations over the past month.