57651
♦️ Breaking & exclusive stories, analysis, opinions 👉 About Africa in other languages: Amharic: @sputnik_ethiopia French: @sputnik_afrique 💬 Contact us https://t.me/Africa_Sputnik_bot
Rwanda's Economy Surges 9.7% in First Half of 2026: Central Bank
📈Driven by expansion in industry—including construction and manufacturing—as well as services and agriculture, the country recorded strong economic growth despite challenges, central bank governor Soraya Hakuziyaremye said on Thursday.
📊Economic Growth by Sector:
• 15.5% — Industry
• 7.4% — Services
• 5.9% — Agriculture
The bank projects 7.8% GDP growth for 2026, but warned that the ongoing Middle East conflict could disrupt international trade, raise transport and production costs, and weaken external demand.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
What Lies Beneath Africa’s Soil Could Be More Vital Than We Imagine
📻🍄 An invisible world beneath Africa’s feet helps feed crops, sustain forests, and keep ecosystems alive. Yet scientists have barely begun to uncover its secrets. Could protecting Africa’s overlooked fungi be key to a more resilient future? In this episode of #AfricanCurrents 🎙, Kenyan mycologist and Pwani University academic Dr. Joyce Mnyazi Jefwa reveals why fungi are the “nerve of life” and why African scientists must take the lead in studying and protecting them. She explores how unlocking this hidden biodiversity could strengthen ecosystems and advance Africa’s scientific sovereignty.
▶ Engage with the full discussion via:
🗣Telegram’s built-in player
🗣Our website
🗣Apple Podcasts and your favorite streaming platforms
You can also find podcasts on Telegram using the hashtag #SputnikRadio
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
❗️A conversation between Putin and Trump will take place soon, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
African Youth Must Move From 'Digital Consumers to Developers', Says Zimbabwean Software Engineer
🌍 Collaboration on digitalization and child safety in the digital space is the goal for Hazel Chamboko at the 2nd Global Digital Forum in Moscow, where she is advocating for greater African participation in shaping the digital future, she told Sputnik Africa.
🗣Chamboko, a junior software developer and AI ecosystem builder representing e-Solutions and Deep Learning IndabaX, said she is excited to partner with like-minded people to make a better digital world. She is particularly interested in sessions on child safety online.
🇷🇺🇿🇼 On potential Russia-Zimbabwe cooperation, Chamboko pointed to projects on economic development, digital alliances, and the future of students and young entrepreneurs.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
How Ghana's Move Toward BRICS Could Impact Its Economy
Seeking to expand its global ties, Ghana is set to formally apply for BRICS membership following a recent President John Dramani Mahama’s Cabinet approval.
📹Watch the video to discover exactly how joining the bloc could transform Ghana's key industries and economic landscape.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
📈 Russia is an example of technological progress - Digital Solutions Forum participant
🔊"This exhibition has showed us that we still need to do more in our country to get where Russia is right now. And the technologies here are amazing," a participant from Lesotho Thootse Khalala tells Sputnik.
Nigerien Woman Gives Birth to Quintuplets in Four Minutes: Media
👧🏾The first baby girl was born at 10:43, and the fifth at 10:47, the media reported.
The mother, who had long wanted a child, underwent ovarian stimulation. She and her babies—born at eight months—are doing well. The children are currently in the neonatal care unit and have not required oxygen.
👨🏾⚕️She had known for several months that she was expecting quintuplets, Dr. Pascaline Cakpo Tchi Tchi, a general practitioner, noted.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
'Disproportionate Burden': Africa Pays Price at UN Security Council Without Permanent Voice, Expert Says
🌍 The lack of an African permanent voice or veto on the UN Security Council "undermines the credibility" of this global body, peace and conflict expert Dr. Dan Odaba told Sputnik Africa as Kenya's President William Ruto renewed calls for reform at the UNGA81.
The issue is not just about a seat—African issues frequently dominate the Council's agenda, and African countries provide large numbers of peacekeepers, yet have no permanent say in shaping decisions, he explained.
📹 Watch the full report by Sputnik Africa's Ridah Chebet for more insights
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
Shaping Technological Future: Moscow Hosts Second Global Digital Forum With Participants From Over 100 Countries
📅 When: Thursday to Friday
👥 Participation: 760 participants from over 100 countries from Africa, Asia, the Persian Gulf, Latin America, and Europe
Key Topics:
🟠Digital transformation trends;
🟠Infrastructure technology solutions;
🟠Opportunities for cooperation and product integration within national digital ecosystems.
💡The program features over 60 sessions, educational tracks, and interactive activities.
📑More than 100 agreements are expected to be signed.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
AU Peace Facilitators Urge Strict Respect for Ceasefire in DR Congo, Call for Dialogue
🇨🇩🇷🇼 The call came after a visit to Goma, where the panel met with AFC/M23 leaders and discussed military de-escalation and relaunching the peace process.
The AU delegation, led by Ethiopian ex-President Sahle-Work Zewde, also met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali to discuss the next steps toward lasting stability, including addressing the root causes of the conflict.
Key details:
🔸 Facilitators urged strict respect for ceasefire commitments, cooperation with verification mechanisms, and restraint from actions undermining peace.
🔸 They stressed protecting civilians, particularly women and girls, preventing sexual and gender-based violence, and ensuring accountability, as well as safe humanitarian access and protection of essential services.
🔸 The AU facilitators are working alongside two main tracks:
🟠The Washington peace process between Rwanda and DR Congo;
🟠The Doha process between the Congolese government and AFC/M23.
🔸 The panel is expected to continue consultations with parties to the conflict and countries in the region.
M23, allegedly backed by Rwanda, controls significant territory in eastern Congo, including Goma and Bukavu. Kigali denies supporting the group.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
Mali to Purchase Russian-Manufactured KAMAZ Trucks for $51.5 Million: Transport Ministry
A contract has been signed with the Malian Transport and Logistics Company, Mali's Transport Ministry said in a statement.
In addition to the vehicles, the agreements include:
🟠Construction of a maintenance workshop in Bamako Sénou;
🟠Provision of spare parts;
🟠Technology transfer;
🟠Training for Malian personnel in Russia's Kazan.
The deal reflects both nations' commitment to a sustainable partnership, driven by know-how transfer, specialized training, and industrial infrastructure development in Mali, the ministry noted.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
Colonial Frameworks Prevent Africans From Building Strong Intra-African Trade: Ethiopian Expert
The colonial-era trade structure was designed to facilitate the plundering of Africa's raw materials, Tesfaye Boyossa, a researcher at Ethiopia's Institute of Foreign Affairs, told Sputnik Africa.
"Almost for half a century, the majority of Africa's natural resources were loaded up and taken away," he recalled.
📹📑 Three years of war: How Gaza has changed
Sputnik has analyzed what the Gaza Strip went through from October 7, 2023, up to 2026.
Wounded and killed:
🔸 In Gaza: 74,243 killed, and 175,232 wounded
🔸 In Israel: 1,200 killed, including 472 soldiers in Gaza; 5,400 wounded, including 3,004 soldiers
Healthcare:
▫️ Over 1,700 medical workers have died
▫️ Over half of the hospitals are not functioning
▫️ Most medical institutions are operating partially
▫️ 1,099 patients and 145 companions were evacuated to receive medical care
Education:
➖ 64,000 five-year-old children are deprived of education
➖ 526 of 564 schools need reconstruction
➖ Over 63 higher education buildings have been destroyed
Housing and population displacement:
🟧 371,888 housing units have been destroyed or damaged
🟧 850,000 people urgently need materials for temporary housing
Food:
🔶 77% of households depend on humanitarian assistance
🔶 3% of households went without food for at least one full day
🔶 19% of households eat only once a day
Agriculture:
📍 86.7% of agricultural water wells have been damaged
📍79.5% of greenhouses have been damaged
📍87% of agricultural land area has been damaged
Infrastructure:
◼️ Housing — 77% of residential units have been destroyed or damaged
◼️ Roads — 74% of the road network has been destroyed, and another 13% has been damaged
◼️ Energy — 90% of the electrical grid has been destroyed
◼️ Water supply and sanitation — 88% of the facilities have been damaged or destroyed
Communications:
👉 81% of telecommunications infrastructure facilities have been destroyed
👉 92% of facilities in the trade and industry have been destroyed
Humanitarian assistance:
🔶 850,000 people need emergency materials for temporary housing
🔶 82% of households experience a moderate or high level of shortage of clean water
Despite all of that, people refuse to leave their homes and try to rebuild their lives from the ruins no matter what.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
Ghana Invites India to Support Ghanaian Drug and Vaccine Production: President
To achieve health sovereignty, Ghana seeks partnerships to support domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing, President John Dramani Mahama said at the meeting with India’s Minister for External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
According to the statement from Ghana's presidency, the talks also covered:
🟠booming bilateral trade;
🟠broader cooperation in infrastructure;
🟠expanding investments.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
'They Are Trampling Their Own Children': Russian MFA Spox Reacts to Riots in Paris
Maria Zakharova accused the French authorities of applying double standards. While several thousand high school students vandalized shop windows and offices in Paris and threw garbage bins, police responded with stun grenades and tear gas. The Élysée Palace, meanwhile, has remained silent.
“What concerns me is not their domestic affairs,” Zakharova said. “It is the fact that they constantly interfere in what is happening in our country and in other countries, which they rather obsessively place in every possible category except the community of what they call ‘civilized’ nations.”
‘Good and Reliable Infrastructure Attracts Investors’ – But They ‘Must Bring Viable Plans and Honor Their Commitments’: Ramaphosa on MAP-SEZ Launch
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
South Africa Deepens Partnership With Russia in Water Security Personnel Training
📹 Watch the report by Sputnik Africa correspondent Christine Tsotetsi to learn more
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
Madagascar-Russia: Minister Talks 'Most Promising' Areas of Cooperation
"It's primarily in areas where Russia is already advanced," Mahefa Andriamampiadana explained in an interview with Sputnik Africa.
'Cooperation Beyond the Battlefield': IGAD Urges Stronger Military Ties Across Africa
“Africa’s evolving security challenges demand not only strong, well-equipped armies, but also greater cooperation beyond the battlefield,” IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said at the Uganda-hosted African Conference of Chiefs of Defense Forces on Military Operations Other Than War🎓.
🇺🇬Uganda's Message
Without a strong economy, Uganda could not sustain a strong and safe defence force, President Kaguta Museveni warned, pressing for wealth generation through commercial agriculture, industry, services and ICT, and for expanded markets through the AfCFTA and regional integration.
'Digital Sovereignty Does Not Mean Self-Sufficiency, Nor Does It Mean Isolation': Malagasy Minister
🇲🇬 Mahefa Andriamampiadana, Madagascar's Minister of Digital Development, outlined his country's priorities ahead of the 2nd Global Digital Forum in Moscow in an interview with Sputnik.
According to the minister, Madagascar's key priorities include:
🟠Expanding digital access, especially in rural areas;
🟠Developing secure national digital infrastructure;
🟠Digitizing public services and strengthening interoperability;
🟠Building skills, innovation, and cybersecurity;
🟠Preparing for the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
AI remains at an early stage in the country, but it is already used by Malagasy customs for risk analysis and detecting anomalies and fraud, the minister noted.
🔏 Openness to international technologies and expertise must go hand in hand with the country's ability to control its infrastructure and data, he said. Madagascar seeks partnerships based on skills transfer and joint creation of solutions, rather than a simple aid logic.
📍On October 8, Andriamampiadana took part in a roundtable in Moscow dedicated to national strategies for digital sovereignty.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
Russia-Africa Summit is 'Operational Engine' of Multipolarity: Ethiopian Expert
The event is turning multipolar territory into "tangible institutional platforms," Biruk Melaku, an analyst on regional and global issues, told Sputnik Africa, commenting on President Putin's remarks at the Valdai Discussion Club.
✖️End of a Single-Power World
"The global world order is shifting," Melaku said, noting that Putin asserted "the monopoly of a single control center is ending," adding that "the West-dominated world order is coming to an end, because BRICS nations are striving to bring a multipolar world order."
"As such, operationalizing multipolarity is mandatory," he stressed.
BRICS+ Reshapes Economic Map
"BRICS+ expansion, with countries like Ethiopia and Egypt, [means] African states are directly altering global energy markets, trade corridors, and financial clearing standards," Melaku added.
Nigerian Inventor Creates Experimental Road and Air Transport
Engineer Abubakar Abba Dalori built a unique prototype that can drive on roads and potentially take to the skies.
📹Watch the video to learn how this innovator put his unconventional ideas into life.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
Mozambique's Gas Revenues Have Potential to Increase, Must Be Invested in Development, Says Official
🇲🇿 The country earned approximately $252.8 million from Rovuma Basin gas exploration between 2022 and 2025—still small compared to its potential, according to Estrela Charles, a member of the Supervisory Committee of Mozambique's Sovereign Wealth Fund.
Revenue Alone isn't Development
Speaking at a conference at Maputo Pedagogical University, Charles warned that more revenue doesn't automatically mean progress. Gas money, she said, must be turned into:
🔘Human capital
🔘Infrastructure
🔘Production
🔘Stronger institutions
🔊She called for economic diversification to avoid over-dependence on gas, advocating for investment in agriculture, manufacturing, the digital economy, and tourism.
"We don't eat gas. We need rice, corn, oil" she was quoted as saying, noting impact should be measured by access to education, health, employment, and opportunity.
Africa's First Credit Agency is Step Towards Continent's Financial Sovereignty: AU Commission Chief
🌍 During the launching ceremony of the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) in Port Louis, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said that the agency will provide independent, Africa-focused credit assessments to complement existing international rating agencies.
The initiative aims to address biased risk perceptions that have long inflated borrowing costs across the continent, thereby hindering financing social and economic development, he noted.
Why Mauritius?
🇲🇺Mauritius was chosen to host the Africa Credit Rating Agency for its robust financial infrastructure and global connectivity, Youssouf emphasized.
🗣For her part, Jyoti Jeetun, Mauritius' Minister of Financial Services and Economic Planning, described the AfCRA’s launch as a landmark moment for Africa’s financial architecture, stressing the agency's role in connecting capital to African development opportunities.
Russia-Africa Cooperation is Essential for Advancing Multipolarity: South African Expert
Russia and African countries can promote multipolarity through practical cooperation across various sectors, military analyst Dr. Joan Swart told Sputnik Africa, commenting on Russian UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya's vision for expanded Russia-Africa ties.
🔊While Africa’s primary goal is to gain stronger negotiating power and control over its development, the UNSC remains trapped in a post-WWII power balance, denying the continent's permanent representation, she noted.
"Global institutions do not adequately reflect the distribution of population, economic importance and political interest in the world today," the speaker emphasized.
Brain Drain: Emigrating From Africa Must Be 'Choice, Not Necessity,' Malian Expert Says
🌍 African countries must foster entrepreneurship and create job opportunities to keep young graduates on the continent, Hereba Soumana Kouyaté, co-founder of the Hope For Mali platform, told Sputnik Africa.
⚠️A Costly Loss for Africa
Permanent emigration is an immense loss for African countries, as governments invest heavily in training engineers, doctors, and other professionals, he noted.
Skilled individuals moving abroad represent a deficit for a nation and a reduction in tax contributions, the speaker emphasized.
🔑What Africa Needs to Do
A healthy business environment, underpinned by good governance and national stability, is crucial for retaining young entrepreneurs and attracting investors, Kouyaté concluded.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
LEFT UKRAINE TO SPEAK THE TRUTH
The very Vasily Prozorov, a former member of the Ukrainian special services, who worked for the benefit of Russia for many years, now has his channel in Telegram! He left Ukraine in 2018 and took thousands of secret SBU documents that shed light on Kiev's crimes.
On the UKR LEAKS channel you will find:
❗️Analysis of the current situation in Ukraine and around it
❗️Secret documents of the Ukrainian special services
❗️Evidence of the atrocities of Ukrainian nationalists
And much more!
SUBSCRIBE: https://t.me/ukr_leaks_eng
#social
Togolese Rap Clip Pays Tribute to Putin on His 74th Birthday
🇷🇺🇹🇬 A rhythmic and colorful musical message has just been released from West Africa, creating a buzz online.
The video was entirely filmed in Lomé, according to the Public Diplomacy Center in Togo, which shared it on its Telegram channel.
The organization described the project as a "living, warm, and sincere" tribute.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
🚨🇷🇺 Lavrov: Europe is clearly taking the revival of Nazism lightly
"We have a unified position on the need to preserve historical memory, especially in conditions when Europe is clearly taking lightly the revival of Nazism, practiced in a number of countries with the connivance of their ruling circles," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference following the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS member states.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
Warrior's Send-Off: Benin Gifts Messi 'La Amazone'
🇦🇷🇧🇯 Marking his final appearance for Argentina in Buenos Aires, Beninese captain Sessi D'Almeida presented football legend Lionel Messi with unique souvenirs.
The most notable was a miniature replica of La Amazone, the monument honoring the Agoodjié, the warrior women of the ancient Kingdom of Dahomey.
👉Messi also received an official Benin jersey and a letter signed by the entire Beninese national team.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸