AGP Executive Report

Pan-African Legacy: Journalist Gamal Gorkeh Nkrumah, eldest son of Ghana’s first president, has died in Cairo aged 68. A political science scholar, he spent more than 15 years at Al-Ahram Weekly, writing on African affairs. Cooperatives: Tanzania’s SACCO sector had 1.9 million members and assets of 1.69 trillion shillings by the end of 2025. At a regional congress in Dar es Salaam, Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba urged stronger accountability, digital services and women’s leadership. Mineral Sovereignty: China’s Xi Jinping proposed African ownership and greater local benefit in mining partnerships, as international interest grows in Kenya’s Mrima Hill deposits. Regional Justice: Liberia’s Justice Charlyne Brumskine has been elected president of the ECOWAS Court of Justice for a four-year term. Cultural Connection: A new children’s book turns West African jollof rice into a friendly rivalry between Nigerian and Senegalese families.

Regional Justice: Liberia’s Charlyne Brumskine has been elected president of the ECOWAS Court, pledging judicial independence and timely justice. Health & Community Safety: Kenya confirmed a second linked Ebola case, while the outbreak in the DRC has spread to a new health zone; regional agencies are urging coordinated action. Cross-Border Cooperation: Uganda and South Sudan are discussing trade barriers, better border security and upgrades to the Juba–Nimule road and power links. Civil Society: Ghana-based WACSI won a 2026 African CSO Award for its work strengthening civic organisations and locally led development. Civilian Rights: Reports of abuses by Russia-backed Africa Corps in Mali are intensifying scrutiny of the force’s role and accountability. Culture & Identity: A feature on Nigerian women’s head ties explores how styles such as gele and ichafu carry cultural meaning across generations. Community Land Rights: Forest-rights funders exceeded a five-year pledge, but only 7.2% of 2025 funding went directly to Indigenous and local groups.

Language and Heritage: A new reflection on Èdè Yorùbá presents the language as a living link between generations, carrying history, ethics and cultural identity across Nigeria, Benin, Togo and the diaspora. Farm Cooperatives: Kenyan farmers could earn more by pooling production and bargaining power, securing buyers and improving access to storage and finance, an analysis argues. Regional Security: ECOWAS defence chiefs have proposed a counter-terrorism brigade to strengthen joint responses to threats across West Africa. Justice: Liberia’s Charlyne Brumskine, newly elected president of the ECOWAS Community Court, pledged to protect judicial independence and deliver timely, fair justice. Climate Action: At a forum in Abuja, African stakeholders urged governments, businesses and communities to turn climate promises into practical results, backed by investment and public accountability.

West African Scam Crackdown: A joint law-enforcement and tech operation led to arrests, the removal of 3.7 million fraudulent accounts and the rescue of 117 trafficking victims from scam compounds in Ghana. DR Congo Health Crisis: Ebola cases have topped 9,000, with 4,381 deaths reported. Climate Finance: A new report says Africa needs nearly $70 billion a year to adapt to climate change, warning that funding gaps and debt leave communities exposed. Congo Basin Forests: Global deforestation eased 15% in 2025, but forest loss surged in Central Africa, threatening efforts to halt clearing by 2030. Regional Elections: Nigeria’s INEC and ECONEC adopted guidelines for responsible AI use in elections, aiming to strengthen electoral integrity across West Africa. Wildlife Protection: Nigeria’s conservation foundation joined an international project to protect migratory vultures from poisoning, poaching and unsafe power lines.

Mauritius Unrest: Protests over water shortages and living costs have become the island’s worst riots since 1999, after police shot and injured a woman; schools are closed and police stations have been set ablaze. DRC Peace Efforts: African Union envoys met in Kigali to advance a peace process for eastern Congo, urging ceasefire commitments and restraint as fighting continues. Climate-Smart Farming: Kenyan entrepreneur Godfrey Noel is using digital tools to connect smallholder farmers with climate finance, helping cooperatives verify the environmental benefits of greener practices. Rights and Belief: A Nigerian humanist advocate says freedom of religion must also protect non-believers, who face discrimination, threats and imprisonment in parts of the region. Cultural Exchange: Zimbabwe audiences welcomed a performance of China’s centuries-old Wu Opera, part of cultural events marking China-Africa people-to-people exchanges. Regional Ties: Algeria and Senegal have opened their first joint cooperation commission in nearly 30 years, aiming to build a stronger partnership on shared interests.

African Investment: Dangote Refinery extended its IPO to October 27 to give investors across Africa more time to participate in what is billed as the continent’s largest share offering. Public Health: Nigeria will host the first African edition of the global ministerial conference on antimicrobial resistance in Abuja in December, with officials warning of risks to health, food security and livelihoods. Regional Security: Nigeria began training officers from 12 African countries to trace illicit weapons and disrupt trafficking networks linked to terrorism and organised crime. Poverty: A UNDP and Oxford University report says 17.9 million Nigerians fell into multidimensional poverty between 2021 and 2024—the largest increase recorded in any country with comparable data. Horn of Africa: Renewed fighting in Tigray and rising Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions threaten the 2022 peace deal; the UAE has publicly backed Ethiopia’s federal government, while Saudi Arabia has previously helped mediate. Culture: Ayra Starr became the first African artist to headline an NFL International Games halftime show, taking African music to a global audience.

Fair Maps: Togo’s foreign minister is urging African countries to back the Equal Earth projection, which shows the continent’s true size and challenges distortions long embedded in maps and education. Housing Justice: A UN expert says Ghana’s construction boom is producing costly properties beyond workers’ reach, while many families are pushed toward informal or substandard housing. Human Rights: Rights groups warn Senegal’s crackdown on LGBT people conflicts with Olympic principles as Dakar prepares to host the Youth Olympic Games. Living Knowledge: Scholars at a Cape Town summit called for Indigenous knowledge to shape research and innovation, while protecting it from exploitation. Community Conservation: Namibia’s wildlife recovery highlights the gains possible when local communities have a central role in conservation. Continental Justice: The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights is marking 20 years of landmark rulings and engaging citizens on the future of justice across the continent.

Pan-African Legacy: Guyanese activist Eusi Kwayana, a co-founder of the Working People’s Alliance and a leading voice in grassroots, Africa-centred organising, has died at 101. Freedom of Movement: Former Ekiti governor John Fayemi says Africa’s integration depends on letting people move, work and belong across borders with dignity. Education Access: FAWE Liberia plans bursaries and vocational training for 650 marginalized young people, prioritising women, refugees and people with disabilities. Cultural Heritage: South Sudanese artist Atong Atem’s forthcoming Melbourne exhibition explores Dinka culture, identity and intergenerational stories through more than 65 works. Living Traditions: Ilorin’s Az-Zumratul Adabiyyah school marked its centenary, with Abubakar Saraki calling it a defining institution of the city’s Islamic scholarship. Coastal Livelihoods: Nigerian fish traders and coastal communities will meet this week to push for stronger protection of inshore waters and a greater role in fisheries decisions.

Girls’ Rights: On International Day of the Girl, advocates warn that child-marriage protections across Africa remain underfunded. Just 0.025% of global aid from 2015 to 2023 targeted ending child marriage, while dedicated funding fell from $76 million in 2019 to $51 million in 2023. African Representation: AU ministers meeting in Tripoli are renewing calls to correct Africa’s underrepresentation on the UN Security Council. Ebola Alert: The outbreak in eastern DR Congo has reached a new health zone, while Kenya confirmed a fatal imported case, underscoring cross-border risks. Migration Tragedy: At least 109 people, including 15 children, died and more than 116 remain missing after a migrant boat capsized off Djibouti on its way to Yemen. Culture & Livelihoods: In Lagos, akara—a bean fritter with roots across West Africa and its diaspora—has become a touchpoint for conversations about Nigerian history and the daily struggle to get by.

Cross-Border Health: Ebola has spread to another health zone in eastern DR Congo, while Kenya confirmed an imported case traced through Uganda, underlining the outbreak’s regional reach. India–Africa Ties: India’s foreign minister met Ethiopia’s investment-holdings chief to discuss deeper investment, as officials also reviewed wider trade and development cooperation. Nutrition: Nigeria’s 36 governors pledged a nationwide nutrition emergency and new funding for programmes across all local government areas, drawing lessons from Ethiopia. Living Traditions: Ghanaian actor Jeffrey Nortey’s kneeling greeting to Nollywood veteran Kanayo O. Kanayo highlighted a gesture of respect shared across African cultures. Yoruba gospel ministry Ayewa is also preparing to mark 50 years of music rooted in faith and tradition. African Justice: The African Court plans to engage citizens on the future of continental justice as it marks its 20th anniversary.

Africa’s Global Voice: India’s foreign minister S. Jaishankar called for United Nations Security Council reform, saying Africa and India must not remain under-represented in global decision-making. Regional Cooperation: Egypt and Malaysia signed four agreements on women’s empowerment, education, tourism and investment, and backed closer ties between ASEAN and the African Union, while urging peace and respect for sovereignty in the Horn of Africa and Sudan. Anti-Trafficking: Ghana’s upgrade to Tier 1 in the 2026 US trafficking report marks progress, but International Justice Mission says survivors still need more funding, shelter and support. Community Environment: A Kenyan organisation says it has planted 3.27 million trees through the Jaza Miti campaign, with a focus on helping seedlings survive and restoring ecosystems. City Culture: A new open-air photography gallery on Cape Town’s busy Alpha Street brings African stories and urban life into public space. Food Security: Kenyan scientists are developing climate-resilient planting materials as drought, crop disease and erratic rainfall threaten farmers.

Cultural Identity: Pete Edochie says Africans should reclaim their stories and talents from foreign influences, pointing to Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart as a lasting expression of African experience. India–Africa Partnership: In Addis Ababa, India’s foreign minister highlighted shared goals of self-reliance and industrial growth, and said India’s development work is guided by African partners’ priorities. Ghanaian Cybersecurity: Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority stressed that it led a major operation against a cybercrime compound, with international agencies including the FBI providing support. African Cinema: Nigerian media entrepreneur Mo Abudu has opened a London cultural centre featuring a cinema devoted to African film, aiming to give African stories a wider audience. Cultural Heritage: Benin is seeking the return of 35 more cultural objects from France, renewing debate over restitution and cultural sovereignty. Food and Farming: In Sudan, a project is pairing farm inputs with practical advice to help communities improve harvests; it supported fertiliser access for more than 100,000 farmers.

India–Ethiopia Ties: Foreign ministers discussed expanding cooperation in trade, investment, education, digitalisation and security, alongside India’s partnership with the African Union. Culture & Tradition: A video of a Zimbabwean woman kneeling to greet men at a funeral has prompted debate, with many identifying the gesture as Shona etiquette for showing respect to elders. African Literature: Pete Edochie called Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart the continent’s greatest book, praising its African perspective and urging creatives to draw on their own histories. Health Access: Ghana’s breast cancer awareness campaigns face a harder test: getting women timely diagnosis and treatment amid fear, stigma and cost barriers. Climate Justice: African negotiators are urging leaders to push a common agenda at COP31 and demand delivery of past climate commitments, including accessible finance and technology. Regional Health Security: South Sudan has heightened Ebola surveillance after Kenya confirmed an imported case linked to travel through the DRC and Uganda.

Climate and Food Security: Kenya is strengthening flood defences around the Nyando River and exploring purchases of farmers’ unsold rice as El Niño rains threaten homes, crops and food supplies. Peace Efforts: African Union facilitators urged ceasefire compliance and civilian protection in eastern DR Congo, pressing the government and M23 rebels to pursue talks. Horn of Africa Tensions: Ethiopian forces have captured Mekelle as fighting continues in Tigray; reports of Eritrean troops entering the region remain unconfirmed, raising fears of a wider conflict. Cultural Justice: Benin is asking France to return 35 more cultural objects, intensifying debate over restitution and African cultural sovereignty. Grassroots Sport: Nigeria will convene a national summit in November to strengthen community and school sports as pathways for developing athletes. Postwar Reckoning: Retired Nigerian ambassador Lawrence Agubuzu’s memoir alleges that Igbo diplomats faced blocked promotions, restricted postings and other discrimination after the civil war.

Migration and Workers’ Rights: Tanzania’s Doha Dialogue brought 28 African states and Gulf partners together to push for safer, more formal labour mobility, with clear contracts, fair wages and worker protections. Human Rights Watch separately condemned US deportations to third countries, saying more than 500 people have been sent to African nations other than their own. Public Health: Kenya is tracing contacts after confirming its first imported Bundibugyo Ebola case, as the outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo raises regional concern. Regional Cooperation: Cameroon and Nigeria pledged closer work on trade, security and regional integration. Democracy: Guinea-Bissau’s electoral commission says conditions are not in place for the December vote, raising the prospect of a delay in the return to civilian rule after last year’s coup. Heritage: Benin has asked France to return 35 more cultural objects, renewing debate over the restitution of African artefacts. Peace and Communities: South Sudan church leaders urged an end to hostilities and called for civilian protection and safe humanitarian access.

Eastern DRC Peace: African Union facilitators urged the Congolese government and M23 rebels to respect the ceasefire and continue talks, while Banyamulenge advocates say lasting peace must protect communities facing discrimination and displacement. Regional Justice: New ECOWAS Court judges took office as Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye called on them to uphold their oath and earn public trust; The Gambia has also outlined a special mechanism for prosecutions following its Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission. Reclaiming History: Côte d’Ivoire is preparing a symposium marking 80 years since the founding of the pan-African RDA movement, renewing attention to its anti-colonial legacy and the importance of preserving African archives. Community Conservation: In Kenya, Samburu warriors are putting skills once used to hunt lions to work protecting them, showing how local knowledge can support wildlife conservation.