Around Africa in 6: News from across Africa, August 2022.

Just before we go into a new month, here’s a roundup of news in Africa from August 2022:

1. Kenya Is The First African Country To Teach Coding In Schools 

Kenya’s sitting president, Uhuru Kenyatta, announced that coding would be added to the primary and secondary school curricula. This makes Kenya the first African country to teach coding in schools, which could be a win for the country if properly implemented. 

2. Nationwide Strike As South Africans Protest Rising Cost of Living 

Inflation in South Africa is almost 8% – the highest it has been in 13 years. In addition, about a third of South Africans are unemployed. The citizens are unhappy with how things are and have taken to protesting, urging the government to intervene by capping fuel prices, reducing interest rates and introducing a universal basic income of roughly $90 (£75) a month.

3. Nigerian Popstar, Kizz Daniel Arrested In Tanzania 

According to ‘The Citizen”, a Tanzania publication, the hitmaker, Kizz Daniel, was said to have been arrested for failing to show up at the Summer Amplified concert at the Warehouse Arena in Dar es Salaam. He was, however, released a few hours later. 

4. Willam Puto wins the presidential election in Kenya

William Ruto defeated other presidential candidates in the 2022 presidential elections with 50.49% of the vote. The results were, however, challenged in court by Raila Odinga, a co-presidential candidate, saying that the results were “null and void” and accusing the chair of the electoral commission, Wafula Chebukati, of acting with impunity. Following this, a seven-judge court started hearing petitions to void William Ruto’s election as Kenya’s next president.

5. ASUU Strike Continues 

Nigeria’s Academic Staff Union of Universities remains on strike. University activities have been on a halt since February this year as the government and ASUU have not come to an agreement. Some of their demands include revitalization funds for universities, ending the proliferation of universities by state governments and lawmakers, deployment of the University Transparency Accountability System to pay salaries and allowances of lecturers and renegotiating the ASUU-FG 2009 agreement. 

6. Ghana scores Nigeria 2 – 0 

In the qualifiers for the 2023 African Nations Championship (CHAN), Ghana’s Black Stars scored against Nigeria’s Super Eagles, disqualifying the team from competing in the championship. This is a great start for Ghana, whose most recent tournament appearance was in 2014 when they finished second.Speaking of Ghana and Nigeria, here’s a list of types of Jollof rice you should try.