Updated 3:09 pm CDT
Malawi Devalues Currency, Ends Pegging to US Dollar
Malawi President Joyce Banda's government has devalued its currency, removed pegging to the US dollar, and liberalized foreign currency trading.
By Joe Sullivan
Malawi on Monday removed the pegging of its currency, the kwacha, to the US dollar, triggering a 50-percent devaluation. The decision was intended to help unlock stalled aid and stem a decline in the economy.
Tullow Oil Finds More Oil in Kenya Well
By AfricaNewsNet
Tullow Oil, the British company that has been drilling for oil in Kenya, announced Monday that it had found more oil in the Ngamia-1 exploration well, which has now been drilled to an intermediate depth of 1,515 meters.
Nigerian Publishers Condemn Attacks on Media
By Joe Maina
Newspaper owners in Nigeria over the weekend condemned attacks on the media as "an assault on the freedom of expression and free speech". Bomb attacks on newspaper offices in Abuja and Kaduna on April 26 left more than 10 dead and scores injured.
The Myth and Mystique of Humanitarian Space
By IRIN
Two researchers from the UK's Overseas Development Institute have challenged the notion of a 'humanitarian space’ whose neutrality and independence, as aid workers like to complain, is increasingly compromised by donors and others who seek to co-opt them.
In Madagascar, Using Peer Pressure to Stop Teen Pregnancy
By IRIN
Government and aid agencies are working to stem the tide of teen pregnancies in northern Madagascar, where girls as young as 12 are known to give birth. One tactic is to have girls apply peer pressure to discourage teen sexual activity.
Still Too Many Deaths in Childbirth in Ethiopia
By IRIN
Only 10 percent of childbirths take place at a health facility in Ethiopia. A mix of personnel and equipment shortages, ignorance, cultural beliefs, and transport challenges conspire to deny most pregnant mothers access to health facilities.
New Bone Marrow Register in Nigeria An “Important Milestone”
By IRIN
Some 200,000 babies are born annually in sub-Saharan Africa with sickle-cell disease, a blood disorder that can be treated with stem-cell transplants. A new bone marrow registry in Nigeria could help such patients find matching stem-cell donors.