Year: 2023

Kenyan middle-distance runner Faith Kipyegon and American sprinter Noah Lyles were among the six “Athletes of the Year” honored in Monaco on Monday evening by the International Athletics Federation (World Athletics), which also paid tribute to the marathon records broken this season.

World Athletics usually names one man and one woman “Athlete of the Year”, but this year decided to give out more awards than usual, singling out six athletes for their performances on the track, on the road, and in field events.

Faith Kipyegon, 29, was crowned in the “track” category after breaking three world records in the 1,500 m (3 min 49 sec 11), mile (around 1,609 meters in 4:07.64) and 5,000 m (14:05.20, since broken) in 2023.

“It’s been a wonderful year,” said Kipyegon, who also became the first woman to complete the 1500/5000 double, at the world championships in Budapest. “I never expected to do what I did, to break three world records and win two gold medals.”

American Noah Lyles, this year’s fastest man in the world, was also honored in the “track” category after dominating world sprinting by winning the 100 m, 200 m, and 4×100 m in Budapest.

“The 100 m was the most important because I’ve always known I was the fastest man on the planet, but nobody was going to believe me without this title,” reacted the sprinter, more of a 200 m specialist.

Next year, the 26-year-old American wants to win the Olympic gold that is missing from his list of honours, having already won six world championship titles and beat the world record for the half-lap (19.19 seconds for Usain Bolt against a personal best of 19.31).

Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis, who raised his pole vault world record to 6.23 m this year, and Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas, world champion and world record holder in the triple jump (15m74 in 2022), were crowned in the “field event” category.

Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum and Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa were rewarded in the “road” category for their stratospheric marathon world records of 2:00:35 and 2:11:53 respectively. Kiptum will aim to go even faster and get closer to the mythical two-hour barrier at the Rotterdam marathon (Netherlands) in April.

Vote counting began in Egypt on Tuesday evening (Dec. 12) after polls closed at 7PM GMT.

Some 67 million Egyptians were registered to cast a ballot in the presidential election.

State newspaper Al-Ahram reported that the National Elections Authority, which is responsible for organising the poll, recorded an “unprecedented” turnout.

The turnout stood at 41% in the 2018 election.

Former army chief Abdelfattah El-Sissi is running against three relative unknowns: Farid Zahran, leader of the left-leaning Egyptian Social Democratic Party; Abdel-Sanad Yamama, from the Wafd and Hazem Omar, from the Republican People’s Party.

Vote in Egypt started on Sunday while Egyptian expatriates cast their ballot in early December.

The cost of living is a top priority for many voters who have had their savings slashed in an economic crisis worsened by devaluation of the official currency.

Foreign policy, in the wake of the Israeli offensive in the neighbouring Gaza as well as the humanitarian crisis it has induced is also a top concern for some.

Results of the presidential polls will be announced on Monday (Dec.18) .

A runoff scheduled for Jan. 8-10 if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote.

However, observers expect Sisi to secure a third term.

Former Sierra Leonean president Ernest Bai Koroma has been placed under house supervision in what the opposition say is house arrest following the recent violence.

Koroma was questioned on Monday (Dec. 11) for the third time by police in Freetown about the events of November 26, described by the authorities as an attempted coup d’état.

On Saturday, the government had announced that Mr. Koroma, who led Sierra Leone from 2007 to 2018, had been placed under a regime akin to house arrest, information disputed by one of his lawyers.

Sierrra Leone’s Minister of information had said that the former president had been released “on condition that he remains within the confines of his property (in Freetown) and that he receives a limited number of guests.

On Monday, a large number of police officers were deployed around his residence.

According to the Sierra Leonean authorities, some of Mr. Koroma’s former guards are suspected of having taken part in the unrest of November 26.

In the early hours of that day, men attacked a military armory, two barracks, two prisons and two police stations.

The fighting left 21 people dead, 18 members of the security services and three assailants, according to the Minister of Information.

A South African court Monday ruled that the government’s recognition of the King of the Zulu nation last year was unlawful, potentially setting off a new succession battle.

The Pretoria high court ordered President Cyril Ramaphosa to set up an inquiry to probe whether the tumultuous accession of King Misuzulu Zulu was done in line with customary laws.

Following the death of his father, Misuzulu Zulu, 49, was named in 2021 as monarch for the more than 10 million Zulu people living in South Africa.

His traditional coronation had to wait 15 months until August 2022, following bitter feuding over the royal succession.

Misuzulu Zulu took over from Goodwill Zwelithini, who died in March 2021 after a reign of more than 50 years.

Misuzulu Zulu’s older brother, Prince Simakade, sought the ruling, which said the presidential recognition of the Zulu king “was unlawful and invalid and the recognition decision is hereby set aside.”

At a mega party in October 2022, Ramaphosa gave Misuzulu Zulu a giant framed certificate officially recognising him as ruler of the country’s richest and most influential traditional monarchy.

King Zwelithini left six wives and at least 28 children.

Misuzulu Zulu is the first son of Zwelithini’s third wife, whom he designated as regent in his will.

But the queen died suddenly a month after her husband, leaving a will naming Misuzulu Zulu as king.

Zwelithini’s first wife claimed to be the only legitimate spouse but she failed to get a court order stopping the coronation of the man whose name means “to strengthen the Zulu people”.

Before Ramaphosa’s state ceremony, Zwelithini’s eldest son, who was born out of wedlock, filed an emergency lawsuit claiming he was the rightful heir.

Brothers of Zwelithini also claimed the throne for another contender.

South Africa’s constitution recognises traditional rulers and chiefs and they wield significant moral authority.

In July, rumours circulated that Misuzulu Zulu had been poisoned after the sudden death of a close adviser who died after ingesting a toxic substance. The king denied the claims.

The marketing of Nigerien crude oil on the international market will begin in January, announced General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the military regime which has ruled this state under regional sanctions since a coup in July.

“The transport of crude is underway to the Atlantic Ocean ” and “next January  we can hope for the first releases of barrels of Nigerien crude,” said General Abdourahamane Tiani in a television interview public.

Of the “90,000 barrels” produced “per day” which will be sent to Benin, Niger will receive 25.4% of the revenue or those of “22,860 barrels per day”, he said.

Crude oil will be transported from Agadem (south-east) to neighbouring Benin by a giant pipeline commissioned at the beginning of November by the civilian Prime Minister appointed by the military, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine.

The borders between Niger and Benin have been closed since the application of heavy regional sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) , in reaction to the July 26 coup.

Thanks to this nearly 2,000 km long oil pipeline, Niger, one of the poorest states in the world, will be able to sell its crude oil on the international market for the first time, via the port of Sèmè in Benin.

A second refinery

According to the Nigerien government, six billion dollars were invested, including $4 billion to develop the oil fields (Agadem deposit) and $2.3 billion for the construction of the oil pipeline.

These investments have made it possible to increase Niger’s oil production to 110,000 barrels per day, of which 90,000 barrels must be exported.

Black gold is extracted by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

Since 2011, Niger has been refining some 20,000 barrels per day, mainly diesel and gasoline, in Zinder, in the center-east of the country.

General Tiani also announced the construction of a second refinery with the support of external partners, without giving details of the project.

Officially, Niger’s reserves “are around two billion barrels”, he declared.

According to official projections, the country will produce 200,000 barrels daily in 2026.

South Africa, economically crippled by a serious electricity crisis and repeated power cuts, plans to increase its nuclear power production, which is currently marginal, the government announced on Tuesday.

To date, Africa’s leading industrial power has only one nuclear power plant, the only one on the continent. But the Koeberg plant, near Cape Town, is only operating at half capacity.

The government announced on Tuesday that it had launched discussions with “several potential suppliers” for the acquisition of new production units. These could be conventional reactors or small modular reactors, which are less powerful but also less costly.

Zizamele Mbambo, in charge of nuclear power at the Ministry of Energy, told a press conference that he hoped to see the first reactors in service by 2032-2033.

“An important milestone”, stressed Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, which should bring an additional 2,500 MW of electricity generation capacity.

Over the past 15 years, power cuts of up to 12 hours a day have severely affected the economy and fuelled anger against the country’s historic ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), with elections due next year.

The ANC could fall below the 50% mark, according to the polls, and lose its absolute majority in parliament for the first time.

Over the past 15 years, power cuts of up to 12 hours a day have severely affected the economy and fueled anger against the country’s historic ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), as elections are scheduled for next year.

The ANC could fall below the 50% mark, according to the polls, and lose its absolute majority in parliament for the first time.

After years of mismanagement and corruption under President Jacob Zuma (2009-2018), state-owned power utility Eskom is unable to generate enough electricity for the country from its aging and poorly maintained power plants.

One unit at the Koeberg nuclear power plant was shut down for almost a year to extend the site’s lifespan by 20 years. And the second unit was shut down this week for maintenance.

All is now set for the AFCON 2023 tournament to be hosted in Ivory coast, sporting authorities in the west African nation said Wednesday as they presented recently renovated stadiums to the press.

“As you can see, COCAN’s mission is first and foremost to organise and deliver the operations and infrastructure needed to ensure the success of AFCON 2023” said François Albert Amichia, President of Ivorian Organising Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations (COCAN). “Above all, to unite the general public and the nation’s economic forces around this major event; to build a legacy in terms of services and infrastructure for sport and the people of Côte d’Ivoire ” Amichia added.

The tournament with 52 matches will be held in five cities: Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Bouaké, San-Pedro and Korhogo, with fan zones in each host city.

“Once the AFCON has been offered, all the necessary measures will be taken to ensure security and quality of life in the city of Abidjan. For those who know Ivory Coast, there’s a saying that goes “Abidjan is sweet”. It’s universal. And so we’re going to make sure that all foreigners appreciate it. That’s at the organisational level” said Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF).

This will be the second Africa Cup of Nations finals to be organized by CAF in Côte d’Ivoire.

“For about fifteen years, we had no stadiums in Ivory Coast. We had to go and play away from home for Ivory Coast matches. The President understood that it was important to offer his young people an environment and conditions in which they could flourish”.

AFCON 2023 will be held from January 13 to February 11, 2024 in Ivory coast where 24 teams will battle for the the continental title.

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya on Wednesday welcomed Gabon’s transitional president Brice Oligui Nguema to Yaounde for a short state visit.

The Cameroonian leader is the latest to recieve Oligui Nguema who is on a tour of central African states asking for the lifiting of economic sanctions on his country before the 2025 elections. Nguema said he and President Biya discussed this in their closed door meeting with some officials and how to boost economic ties between both nations.

Nguema who did not share specific details of the meeting is reported by sources to have explained the reasons behind the coup, and outlined the work of the transition he is leading up to the organization of the country’s next democratic elections.

🇨🇲🇬🇦
J’ai eu des entretiens cordiaux et fructueux avec Son Excellence le Général de Brigade Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Président de la Transition, Président de la République Gabonaise, en Visite Officielle au Cameroun, ce mercredi 06 décembre 2023.#PaulBiya#Cameroun pic.twitter.com/5SRgfbJPCA

— President Paul BIYA (@PR_Paul_BIYA) December 6, 2023

The Gabonese strong man later met several hundred Gabonese civilians in Yaounde where he justified his rise to power, vowing it was to improve living conditions in their oil-producing nation that was ruled for 56-years by the Bongo family.

Nguema’s two hour closed door meeting with Biya ends the tour which has taken him to Chad, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo since he seized power in August.

The general led a coup against Ali Bongo on August 30, moments after Bongo – whose family ruled the West African state for 55 years — was declared winner of a presidential election which the army and opposition declared fraudulent.