Global Pulse

标签： Africa

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  • Ready to ‘conquer Earth’ – Joshua embraces comeback spotlight

    Ready to ‘conquer Earth’ – Joshua embraces comeback spotlight

    As fight week kicks off in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 36-year-old British heavyweight icon Anthony Joshua has cut a noticeably different figure for his much-anticipated comeback bout on Saturday, greeting reporters with warm laughter, thanking traveling fans and even inviting a large group of Albanian supporters to bring their loudest energy to the ring. This weekend’s clash against Albanian contender Kristian Prenga marks Joshua’s first fight since a devastating car crash in Nigeria last December claimed the lives of two of his closest friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.

    A win this Saturday would put Joshua one step away from a blockbuster all-British heavyweight title fight against Tyson Fury, provided Fury secures a victory in his own warm-up bout against Poland’s Mariusz Wach in Thailand this Friday. Speaking at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference in the sweltering Jeddah heat, Joshua laid out his long-term ambition while keeping his focus firmly on the immediate task ahead. “We’ve been working since January, working hard, keeping my head down and aligning all my stars,” Joshua explained. “I’m fully focused. I understand there’s a big picture. The goal is to conquer the universe, right? But first we must conquer Earth. And this is my target here.”

    Joshua’s last fight before the tragic crash was a stoppage win over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami, but the British star has not claimed victory over a top-tier established heavyweight since outpointing Otto Wallin in December 2023. His upcoming opponent, 35-year-old Prenga, now trains out of New Jersey and holds an impressive 20-1 professional record with all 20 wins coming by knockout. Even so, Prenga has never faced an opponent of Joshua’s caliber, a fact that did not stop the underdog from predicting a knockout upset this weekend. When asked for his reaction to Prenga’s bold claim, Joshua remained calm and confident. “Can he knock me out? I really don’t believe it,” he said. “But only God knows that.” Prenga’s manager has framed the bout as a “real-life Rocky moment” for the little-known challenger.

    Long-time observers of Joshua have noted a clear shift in his demeanor this fight week. For most of his career, the Watford-born fighter has been reserved during media obligations, often keeping interactions brief and staying guarded behind his signature headphones. This time around, the headphones were nowhere to be seen. He joked with the press conference host about wearing a formal blazer in the oppressive desert heat, and greeted cheering fans before taking his place on stage. With a professional record of 29 wins (26 by stoppage) and four losses, Joshua says his decades of experience in the sport have left him ready for any challenge Saturday will bring. “I’ve been in the ring with some of the quickest heavyweights, some of the fittest heavyweights. I’ve fought some of the strongest heavyweights,” Joshua said. “I’ve fought contenders. I’ve fought champions. I’ve been knocked down. I’ve been knocked out. I stand strong today and I’m ready for the challenge one million per cent.”

    When an Albanian fan shouted from the crowd “You ain’t ready”, Joshua welcomed the confrontation instead of brushing it off, responding: “We’re going to find out on Saturday and I want to hear your voice shouting. I want that energy in the ring.”

    Talk predictably turned to Fury, who is scheduled to travel to Jeddah from Thailand immediately after his Friday warm-up bout to scout Joshua’s performance. Promoter Eddie Hearn says that if both men win this week, the long-negotiated all-British showdown between Joshua and Fury could take place later this year, adding that “many, many more chapters to write” remain in Joshua’s career. Joshua, however, declined to be drawn into discussion of the potential superfight, choosing to keep all attention on Prenga and his team. “We don’t want to talk about Tyson Fury,” he said. “Respectfully, I’ve done all the media I can about what the future holds. Our focus is [Prenga] and his team. Let’s focus on the job. Anyone can be there on Saturday. The more tickets sold, the better.”

  • Nun speaks out for first time about being detained by ICE while walking to Mass in Texas

    Nun speaks out for first time about being detained by ICE while walking to Mass in Texas

    MCALLEN, Texas — In her first public remarks since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took her into custody last month near the U.S.-Mexico border, 56-year-old Nigerian nun Sister Leticia Ugboaja recounted the jarring moment two armed officers approached her as she walked to Sunday Mass, an experience that left her shaken and confused.

    Wearing her traditional habit, carrying only a rosary and cellphone, and mentally preparing for the day’s Bible readings, Ugboaja broke out in a cold sweat when the officers intercepted her. “Honestly, in that moment, I did not understand what was going on, what was happening to me,” she told reporters at a news conference held at McAllen’s Our Lady of Sorrows Church, the parish where she serves as a volunteer Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

    Ugboaja, a registered nurse with decades of experience working in South Texas healthcare, has held formal protection from deportation to her native Nigeria since 2019, when an immigration judge ruled she would face a substantial risk of torture if forced to return. Her attorney, Carlos M. Garcia, confirmed that Ugboaja has complied with every regulatory requirement imposed on her since that ruling, including maintaining regular check-ins and securing legal permission to work in the country.

    She was held in ICE custody for several hours before being released, following a rapid outpouring of public attention after parish leaders shared her case on social media. Multiple members of Congress ultimately intervened to secure her release. The incident comes amid a sharp escalation of immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration, where mass deportation was a core campaign promise. Critics have slammed the administration’s unusually aggressive enforcement tactics, which have drawn growing scrutiny from civil liberties and human rights advocates.

    Ugboaja begged officers to let her attend Mass and receive Holy Communion before taking her into custody, a request that was denied. “For me, a nun, not to go to Mass on Sunday, not to receive Communion, it was very, very heartbreaking for me,” she said.

    Garcia added that when Ugboaja was detained, ICE offered no clear explanation for the arrest, beyond that officials planned to transfer her to a third country under the Trump administration’s controversial third-country removal policy. That policy, which requires some asylum seekers and protected immigrants to pursue protection in a third nation rather than the U.S., has faced widespread criticism from legal organizations and human rights groups, as well as ongoing legal challenges. Administration officials have defended the policy, arguing it helps reduce crippling backlogs in the nation’s overcrowded immigration court system.

    Ugboaja is scheduled to attend a required check-in with ICE on Tuesday. She chose to speak out now not just to share her own experience, but to advocate for the hundreds of thousands of other immigrants who hold legal protection but still live in constant fear of arbitrary detention.

    “There are many others in this same situation, people who have been given some form of protection under our laws, who have followed every rule asked of them, and who still live with uncertainty,” Ugboaja said. While she expressed deep gratitude to the parish leaders, lawmakers and supporters who helped secure her release, she added that gratitude does not justify staying silent about systemic flaws in the current enforcement regime. “That does not mean I can stay quiet about what happened to me, or about what is still happening to others,” she said.

    A spokesperson for the Diocese of Brownsville confirmed Ugboaja is a member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy religious order, and has worked for 10 years as a certified nursing assistant in Edinburg before taking her current role as a registered nurse at South Texas Health System.

    As of Thursday, neither the Department of Homeland Security nor ICE had responded to repeated requests for comment on Ugboaja’s case, including requests submitted shortly after her June 28 arrest.

  • Swansea sign Ghana winger Opoku

    Swansea sign Ghana winger Opoku

    Championship side Swansea City has finalized the transfer of promising 20-year-old Ghanaian winger Joseph Opoku, who moves to the Welsh club from Belgian top-flight outfit Zulte Waregem on a four-year contract. The deal includes an option for Swansea to extend Opoku’s stay by an extra 12 months, marking the fifth new addition to first-team manager Vitor Matos’ squad this summer transfer window.

    Opoku only linked up with Zulte Waregem in 2024, but quickly established himself as a key attacking talent for the side, playing a central role in their successful campaign to earn promotion to the Belgian Pro League. In his breakthrough 2024–2025 season, the young winger delivered an impressive stat line of 10 goals and six assists across all competitions, catching the attention of both club and national team scouts.

    His rapid club form earned him a first senior call-up to the Ghana men’s national team in May 2025, where he made his international debut in a friendly fixture against Mexico. He was later named to Ghana’s preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but did not make the final cut for the tournament.

    Speaking after the transfer was confirmed, Matos highlighted Opoku’s readiness for the physical and competitive demands of the English Championship. “He is a young player who has already accumulated plenty of senior match experience in Belgium,” Matos explained from Swansea’s pre-season training camp in Austria, where Opoku has already joined the squad and completed his first training session. “We know he is a fast, sharp player, and that will help him adapt to the physicality, intensity and busy schedule of Championship football. We’re really excited to have him with us.”

    Swansea’s sporting director Ben Stevens echoed Matos’ optimism, emphasizing the young winger’s untapped attacking potential. “We’re thrilled to welcome Joseph to Swansea City,” Stevens said. “Two full senior seasons at Pro League level with Zulte Waregem, combined with his call-ups to Ghana’s national team setups, speak volumes about his ability as a young talent. We can’t wait to see his attacking talent flourish under Vitor’s leadership.”

    Opoku’s arrival follows the earlier summer signings of Elijah Just, Stephen Welsh, Moussa Yeo and Leo Walta as Swansea continues to build its squad ahead of the new 2026–2027 Championship season.

  • ‘Motherhood should not be the end of anyone’s story’

    ‘Motherhood should not be the end of anyone’s story’

    Ahead of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) kicking off in Morocco, one of Nigeria’s most decorated female footballers has broken her silence to challenge pervasive harmful cultural attitudes that sideline athletes who choose to start families.

    Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene, a 32-year-old four-time Wafcon winner with 75 caps for Nigeria’s Super Falcons, returned to the national team setup earlier this year after a four-year absence that followed the birth of her first son in 2024. Though her recall marked a triumphant comeback for the veteran midfielder, her presence in the pre-tournament training squad drew widespread criticism from segments of the Nigerian football public.

    In an interview with BBC Sport Africa in Lagos, Okobi-Okeoghene laid bare the harmful narrative that plagues female athletes across the country: “Nigerians, most of the fans out there, feel when a woman is married, she’s old. When a woman gives birth, she’s old, she doesn’t have the strength to do whatever she’s doing.”

    This pervasive stigma, she warns, is already distorting the life choices of her young teammates. “They keep making us feel bad about ourselves. Most of the girls are so scared to get married. They feel by the time they get married, they won’t be called to the national team anymore,” she explained. “Being a soccer player doesn’t stop me from being a wife. It doesn’t stop me from being a career woman, an athlete. Motherhood should not be the end of anyone’s story.”

    Okobi-Okeoghene, who represented Nigeria at both the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cups, said her own post-birth experience pushed her to speak out publicly. She returned to structured training just five months after welcoming her son, a process she describes as physically and emotionally grueling. “It was tough and a struggle to get myself back, that actually took a long while,” she recalled. “It didn’t take out the ability in me, it only took out my fitness.”

    To her surprise and delight, new Super Falcons coach Justin Madugu recalled her to the national side for international friendlies against Cameroon and Senegal earlier this year. Though she did not make the final 2026 Wafcon squad ahead of Nigeria’s bid to secure a record-extending 11th continental title, Okobi-Okeoghene described her return to the setup as an unrivaled privilege. “I always love representing my country any day, any time. Come rain, come sun, I’ll keep supporting the team because it’s my team. I am not an outsider,” she said.

    Her experience echoes a broader challenge facing women’s football across much of Africa. While global governing body FIFA has introduced landmark regulations in recent years mandating paid maternity leave and anti-discrimination protections for female players and coaches, and professional leagues in Europe, North America and Australia have expanded support with extended leave and childcare access, implementation of these protections remains deeply uneven across the continent. Women’s football in most African nations still lacks the formal professional structures needed to enforce these safeguards, leaving athletes to navigate bias alone.

    Drawing a comparison to her time playing in Sweden, Okobi-Okeoghene noted the stark difference in cultural and institutional support: she witnessed a teammate continue training through pregnancy, a choice that allowed her to return to full competitive strength seamlessly after giving birth. The core barrier, she argues, is rooted in cultural norms that frame motherhood as a career end for female athletes, adding that many Nigerian players even fear that having a child will ruin their chances of securing contracts with professional overseas clubs.

    For Okobi-Okeoghene, her own successful comeback would not have been possible without unwavering family support. “One thing I’m so grateful for is that I have a husband and a family who support me,” she said. “There are times I get so tired. After training he is there for me. He wants me to do what I love. He didn’t want me to stop my career because I gave birth.” Her young son has also become a core source of motivation: “Every day I wake up and I see my son, it motivates me to do more. It makes me want to go to the field and work hard, because I need him to see me play football.”

    Ann Chiejine, Nigeria’s assistant coach and a former international goalkeeper who balanced motherhood with her own playing career, echoed Okobi-Okeoghene’s message, stressing that players should never be forced to choose between starting a family and pursuing their athletic dreams. With the 2026 Wafcon set to run from July 26 to August 16, and the four semi-finalists set to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, Okobi-Okeoghene has a clear message for Nigerian men: “You have to support your wife. No matter how much she needs, please give to them. Because you’re the only ones that could actually make us do what we love and also make us satisfied from what we wanted in life.”

    Nigeria will kick off their title defense against Zambia, Egypt and tournament debutants Malawi in Group C, as the team chases another historic continental crown.

  • Teen jailed for exam cheating in Guinea dies after sickle cell complications, father says

    Teen jailed for exam cheating in Guinea dies after sickle cell complications, father says

    A tragic incident in Guinea has sparked public outcry and demands for official accountability after a 17-year-old student with a chronic genetic illness died days after being arrested for alleged exam cheating. Mamadou Djouma Bah, a social sciences student, was taken into custody on July 15 alongside multiple other students accused of fraud during Guinea’s national baccalaureate school-leaving examination, with authorities alleging he used a mobile phone to violate exam rules.

    Two days after his arrest, Bah was convicted of the cheating charge, handed a six-month prison sentence with five months suspended, and ordered to serve one month behind bars at a facility in Kindia, a city located roughly 137 kilometers northeast of Guinea’s capital Conakry. It was during his detention that Bah’s pre-existing sickle cell disease, a lifelong and life-threatening blood disorder common among people of African descent, began to deteriorate rapidly.

    Sickle cell disease is caused by a genetic mutation that produces misshapen red blood cells, which can become lodged in blood vessels and block healthy circulation. This blockage often causes extreme, debilitating pain episodes, increases the risk of life-threatening infections and anemia, and can lead to permanent organ damage or death if not properly managed. People living with the condition require consistent access to medical care, hydration, and monitoring to prevent acute health crises.

    After Bah’s condition worsened in custody, prison officials transferred him to Kindia’s regional hospital for emergency treatment. His father, Mamadou Saliou Bah, recalled the final moments he shared with his son in an interview with the BBC. When the elder Bah visited his son in the hospital, he said the teenager told him he could not breathe properly, asked to lean against his father for support, and uttered his final words: “Dad, I’m dying.”

    According to local government officials, Bah was discharged from the hospital after roughly two days of treatment and returned home, where he died shortly after. Speaking to the BBC, Bah’s father placed full blame for his son’s death on state authorities, saying the teenager did not receive adequate medical care while he was detained in prison. He has joined human rights organizations in calling for a full independent investigation into the circumstances of his son’s death.

    Beyond the demand for justice for his son, Saliou Bah is also calling for the immediate release of the other students still being held on exam fraud charges, warning that they face the same risk of preventable harm. “A student should not be sent to prison. These young people are the future of our country,” he said. “We lost our son; we lost our future.”

    Guinea’s Education Minister Alpha Bacar Barry issued a statement acknowledging the tragedy, saying he was “deeply saddened by the news” and extended “sincere condolences” to the Bah family. Human rights groups have echoed the family’s call for an independent probe, not only into Bah’s death but also into the prosecution of the other detained students. On Wednesday, hundreds of students held demonstrations across the country to protest the detentions and demand the immediate release of their classmates.

  • Ex-governor convicted of murdering a pregnant student in Kenya

    Ex-governor convicted of murdering a pregnant student in Kenya

    After a years-long legal process, a high-profile murder case that shocked Kenya has finally reached a guilty verdict: former Migori County Governor Okoth Obado has been convicted of orchestrating the 2018 killing of 26-year-old pregnant university student Sharon Otieno, with whom he had an extra-marital affair. Two other co-defendants—Obado’s ex-personal assistant Michael Oyamo and former county clerk Caspal Obiero—were also found guilty on Thursday for their roles in the premeditated killing. The verdict has been widely celebrated by activists fighting gender-based violence, who say it marks a rare moment of accountability for a powerful Kenyan political figure.

    The case dates back to September 2018, when Otieno contacted a Nation Media Group journalist, Barack Oduor, to disclose her affair with the sitting governor. The pair was abducted by armed assailants shortly after meeting, but Oduor managed to escape from the moving kidnap vehicle. Two days later, Otieno’s bloodied body was found dumped in a dense thicket outside a small town in western Kenya. A post-mortem examination found she had been raped and stabbed multiple times in the neck, abdomen and back while pregnant.

    In her nationally televised ruling, Judge Cecilia Githua laid out the court’s findings: Obado was the mastermind of the plot, having provided the motive, incitement, and financial resources to carry out the killing. Investigators found the pregnancy was the core trigger: Obado, a sitting governor at the time, refused to accept the pregnancy and arranged Otieno’s elimination to protect his political reputation and personal standing. Oyamo facilitated the execution of the plan, while Obiero handled logistical support and helped cover up the crime to avoid detection, the judge confirmed.

    Prosecutors built their case around 42 witness testimonies and strong circumstantial evidence, according to local Kenyan outlet *The Star*. Investigators were able to trace the getaway car used by the abductors, whose tracking device was deliberately deactivated on the day of the kidnapping to hide the vehicle’s movements, before being reactivated the next day—what then-chief prosecutor Noodin Haji described as a “well-calculated move by the killers” to cover their tracks. Oduor’s eyewitness account of the abduction also served as a critical early lead that pushed the investigation forward.

    During the trial, Obado’s legal team argued that the affair was an open secret, and that there was no reason for their client to resort to murder. But the court rejected this version of events entirely. All three convicted men are currently being held in custody ahead of their sentencing hearings.

    In the immediate aftermath of Otieno’s death in 2018, the case sparked nationwide protests across Kenya and drew long-overdue public attention to the pervasive crisis of gender-based violence and femicide in the country. A 2022 national demographic and health survey found that at least 34% of Kenyan women have reported experiencing physical violence at the hands of intimate partners or other assailants. In the days following this week’s guilty verdict, community vigils were held across the country to honor Otieno and other women killed by gender-based violence.

    For Otieno’s family, the conviction represents the end of a years-long fight for accountability. “We are happy with the conviction. We believe that justice has at last been served to Sharon,” said the family’s legal representative. Activists now say the verdict sets an important precedent for holding powerful perpetrators of violence against women accountable in a country where such cases often go unpunished.

  • By the Numbers: This year’s Ebola outbreak has spread faster than the worst on record

    By the Numbers: This year’s Ebola outbreak has spread faster than the worst on record

    The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is facing an unprecedented Ebola outbreak that has just reached a devastating public health milestone: 1,033 confirmed deaths just over two months after the outbreak was first officially declared on May 15. New data released by Congo’s Ministry of Health puts total confirmed infections at 2,536 as of this week, marking a worrying acceleration of transmission that outpaces any previous recorded Ebola event in modern history.

    To put this speed in context, the 2014-2016 West African Ebola epidemic — long cited as the worst Ebola outbreak on record — took eight months to reach the 1,000-death threshold, three times longer than the current outbreak. That historic epidemic, which ultimately spread across three West African nations and beyond, recorded more than 28,000 total cases and over 11,000 deaths over its three-year duration. The current outbreak, by contrast, has already recorded 2,500 cases at a pace nearly three times faster than the 2014-2016 event.

    Public health experts warn that key differences between the two outbreaks explain the rapid spread, starting with the viral strain behind each event. According to the World Health Organization, three strains of the Ebola virus family are known to cause large-scale outbreaks: Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Bundibugyo virus. The 2014-2016 epidemic was driven by the more common Ebola virus strain, for which targeted vaccines and treatments have been developed. The current outbreak, however, is caused by the rare Bundibugyo variant — a strain with no currently approved vaccines or specific antiviral treatments available to curb transmission or improve patient outcomes.

    Geographically, the current outbreak remains largely contained for now, unlike the 2014-2016 event that spread widely across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone before spilling over to the United States and Europe. Almost all cases of the current outbreak are limited to five eastern provinces of Congo, near the Ugandan border, with only a small number of cases detected in neighboring Uganda. That geographic confinement has so far prevented wider global spread, but public health officials warn the situation remains fragile.

    Another key contrast between the two outbreaks is their case fatality rates. The current Bundibugyo outbreak has recorded a 40% fatality rate so far, with health officials attributing most deaths to delayed care-seeking by infected patients. By comparison, the 2014-2016 Ebola virus outbreak had a far higher 66% overall fatality rate, which overwhelmed fragile public health systems across three West African nations. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data notes that the Ebola virus strain is the deadliest of the known Ebola variants, with untreated cases carrying a fatality risk as high as 90%.

    Despite the lower fatality rate, officials warn the worst of the current outbreak may still lie ahead. Multiple challenges continue to hinder containment efforts: patient zero of the current outbreak has not yet been identified, a majority of new infections are being detected in community members not on monitored contact lists, and public health teams faced critical delays in identifying the specific viral variant causing the first wave of cases. These gaps have allowed the virus to spread faster than containment measures can respond, creating a growing public health emergency for central Africa.

  • Ghanaians ask International Criminal Court to examine years of anti-migrant violence in South Africa

    Ghanaians ask International Criminal Court to examine years of anti-migrant violence in South Africa

    JOHANNESBURG and ACCRA – For nearly 20 years, periodic waves of xenophobic violence targeting foreign migrants have plagued South Africa, leaving a trail of death, displacement, and unresolved impunity. Now, two private Ghanaian citizens have taken the extraordinary step of asking the International Criminal Court (ICC) to intervene, arguing that repeated, widespread attacks on non-citizens qualify as crimes against humanity under international law.

    The petition, filed July 15 with ICC prosecutors by Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a former Ghanaian government spokesperson, and Emmanuel Kotin, a Ghanaian security analyst, demands accountability for nearly two decades of anti-migrant attacks. The filing specifically documents allegations of systematic violence between 2015 and 2025, ranging from fatal assaults and mass looting of migrant-owned property to forced displacement of thousands of foreign-born residents, most of whom are citizens of other African nations.

    Crucially, the petitioners also accuse South Africa’s national government of failing to uphold its responsibility to prevent these attacks and prosecute perpetrators, a core requirement under the Rome Statute that governs the ICC’s mandate. In an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Kotin clarified that the filing is an independent private initiative, with no official endorsement or backing from the government of Ghana. “We are simply asking the ICC to investigate these allegations,” Kotin told the AP.

    Anti-migrant unrest has reemerged with particular intensity in recent months, as protesters in South Africa have scapegoated foreign nationals for the country’s deep economic challenges, including persistently high unemployment, widespread crime, and strained access to public housing and healthcare. The upsurge in violence targeting African migrants has already sparked diplomatic friction across the continent: the governments of Nigeria, Ghana, and Malawi have arranged large-scale repatriations of their citizens who chose to flee the violence, and all three nations have summoned South Africa’s senior diplomatic envoys to formally protest the ongoing attacks.

    As of Thursday, a spokesperson for South Africa’s national government had not issued an immediate response to requests for comment on the new ICC petition. The court has confirmed to the AP that it has received the formal communication, following the petitioners’ public announcement of the filing.

    Under the rules of the Rome Statute, private individuals and civil society groups are permitted to submit information on alleged crimes falling under the ICC’s jurisdiction. After receiving a communication, ICC prosecutors conduct an initial review to determine whether there is a reasonable factual and legal basis to open a formal investigation. It is important to note that the submission of a petition does not automatically trigger a probe; the court receives hundreds of similar communications annually, and only a small fraction advance to the stage of a full formal investigation.

  • Zimbabwe exports first batch of blueberries to China as new market opens

    Zimbabwe exports first batch of blueberries to China as new market opens

    A landmark milestone for Zimbabwe’s horticultural sector has put the southern African nation on a new path of agricultural trade expansion, as it dispatched its first ever commercial consignment of blueberries to the Chinese market in 2026. This breakthrough comes after Beijing and Harare finalized a bilateral phytosanitary protocol in September 2025, formally clearing the way for Zimbabwean blueberry producers to access one of the globe’s largest and fastest-growing consumer markets.

    Beyond market access, Zimbabwean producers are set to gain an additional competitive edge from China’s zero-tariff policy, which applies to qualifying export products from Zimbabwe. This policy eliminates import duties for the fruit, making Zimbabwean blueberries more affordable and attractive to Chinese buyers when stacked against competing international suppliers. Currently ranked as Africa’s third-largest blueberry producer, trailing only Morocco and South Africa, Zimbabwe is projecting its total 2026 blueberry exports to hit 12,000 metric tons, a notable increase from the 9,500 tons exported in 2025.

    In response to this new trade opening, Zimbabwe’s Horticultural Development Council (HDC) has called on local blueberry growers to ramp up production output to match the expected demand from China’s 1.4-billion-consumer market. “China has opened the door,” HDC Chief Executive Officer Linda Nielsen noted at a recent investment gathering in Harare. “As Zimbabwe, we must now make sure we have enough product to walk through it.”

    Nielsen emphasized that China’s broader zero-tariff initiative, which extends to eligible goods from 53 African countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Beijing, creates a transformative, long-term opportunity for Zimbabwe’s entire agricultural export sector. She added that for local producers, the barrier to growth is not lack of market access, but the challenge of scaling production to meet existing and new demand.

    To date, industry data from the HDC shows that Zimbabwe has already expanded its blueberry cultivation area from 650 hectares in 2025 to 850 hectares in 2026, a shift that reflects rising investor confidence in the high-value, nutrient-dense fruit. Alistair Campbell, a representative of the Zimbabwe Berry Growers Association, noted that the country is quickly solidifying its position as one of Africa’s top blueberry producers. The fast-expanding blueberry sector already makes a substantial contribution to Zimbabwe’s national economy, while generating much-needed jobs for rural communities across the country. Today, blueberries stand as one of Zimbabwe’s emerging high-value horticultural crops, with commercial production concentrated in the Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, and Mashonaland Central provinces.

  • Ghanaians’ ICC petition over migrant attacks ‘opportunistic’, says South Africa

    Ghanaians’ ICC petition over migrant attacks ‘opportunistic’, says South Africa

    A wave of violent anti-undocumented migrant protests across South Africa has sparked cross-African diplomatic friction and an unprecedented legal challenge filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC) by two Ghanaian activists, plunging the continent into a heated debate over migration governance and state accountability.

    The unrest, led by anti-migrant groups that set a 30 June deadline for all undocumented foreign nationals to exit the country, has driven widespread displacement. Protesters have taken extreme steps including door-to-door checks of residents’ migration status to enforce their demands, creating a climate of fear that has pushed tens of thousands of migrants to flee. Demonstrators frame their actions as a response to South Africa’s deep socioeconomic crises, blaming undocumented migrants for soaring unemployment, escalating crime, and the crumbling of public services that millions of South Africans rely on daily.

    Disputes over the scale of the displacement highlight growing rifts. South African government data indicates more than 53,000 foreign nationals have been either deported or have left voluntarily in recent weeks. But an independent tally compiled by Agence France-Presse, based on official figures from migrants’ home countries, puts the total number of people who have exited South Africa over the past two months above 160,000, underscoring the far broader reach of the unrest than official counts acknowledge.

    Last week, two Ghanaians — Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a former Ghanaian government spokesperson for governance and security, and Emmanuel Kotin, a counter-terrorism and security analyst — formally submitted a petition to the ICC based in The Hague. The filing argues that the ongoing pattern of targeted violence against migrants meets the legal definition of crimes against humanity, and accuses the South African government of systemic failure to prevent attacks or hold perpetrators accountable. “For years, African brothers and sisters have been killed, beaten and driven from their homes in South Africa,” the pair said in a joint statement. “While we commend individuals in South Africa who have condemned these acts, the pattern, scale and recurrence of the violence raise serious questions about the failure of state authorities to prevent, investigate, and punish these crimes.” As of this report, the ICC has not released any public statement on whether it will move forward with reviewing the petition.

    South Africa has forcefully pushed back against the filing, dismissing it as an opportunistic action that fails to meet the ICC’s legal threshold for intervention. The country’s foreign ministry has emphasized that its domestic judicial system is fully capable of investigating and prosecuting any crimes connected to the unrest. South African officials have repeatedly rejected accusations of state inaction, noting that President Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly acknowledged widespread public frustration over unregulated migration but has clearly condemned all violent attacks on foreign nationals, warning citizens against taking the law into their own hands. In an official response, the South African government stated it “categorically rejects xenophobia, racism, homophobia, and intolerance and discrimination in all their manifestations”, adding that upholding respect for the dignity of every person within its borders is both a constitutional obligation and a moral duty.

    Tensions between South Africa and Ghana have escalated rapidly in recent weeks. Ghana became one of the first African nations to organize repatriation flights for its citizens caught up in the violence after the latest wave of protests erupted, and has confirmed one Ghanaian citizen was killed in anti-migrant attacks — a claim South African authorities have outright denied. In the weeks since, multiple other African countries including Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda have also arranged organized transportation to help their citizens exit South Africa safely.

    Over the weekend, leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a formal condemnation of the attacks, specifically calling out the “despicable treatment of West African citizens” and calling on South African authorities to take immediate, decisive action to end the violence and protect all foreign nationals residing in the country. The United Nations has also joined the international conversation, warning that political and popular leaders are unfairly scapegoating migrants to distract from South Africa’s deep-rooted socioeconomic challenges.

    As Africa’s largest economy, South Africa has long drawn migrants from across the continent seeking better economic opportunity, with many crossing the border without formal authorization. Official statistics put the number of documented foreign residents at more than three million, a figure that does not include the undocumented population, whose exact size remains unconfirmed. To address the underlying issues, South Africa has called for continent-wide discussions through the African Union (AU) focused on tackling the root causes of irregular migration across Africa, framing the crisis as a shared continental challenge rather than an isolated South African problem.