Nigerian police fired tear gas to disperse crowds of protesters in the capital city Abuja on Thursday, as hundreds rallied against the escalating cost of living and governance issues in Africa’s most populous nation, according to eyewitness accounts. Protesters gathered across various Nigerian cities to voice their discontent with government reforms that they claim have worsened the living cost crisis. Authorities have deployed armed security personnel in a bid to preempt any potential violence. In Lagos, the country’s commercial capital, protesters marched towards the government house under the watchful eye of armed policemen, before proceeding to the two locations designated for the protest. (Reuters)

The report on Children and Armed Conflict in Sudan, released on Tuesday, documented a staggering 2,168 grave violations against 1,913 children in 2022 and 2023 – a significant increase compared to the previous reporting period. The most prevalent violations included killing and maiming (1,525 cases), recruitment and use of children in combat (277 cases), and sexual violence (153 cases). In addition, 33 children were abducted, 118 schools and hospitals attacked, and there were 62 incidents of denial of humanitarian access to children in need. The situation worsened dramatically following the outbreak of hostilities between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April year…The report also noted that the termination of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) and the departure of its dedicated child protection staff have exacerbated the crisis, reducing the capacity to monitor and report on grave violations against children. (UN News)

Restructuring is an action taken by a company to significantly modify the financial and operational aspects of the company, usually when the business is facing financial pressures. Restructuring is a type of corporate action taken that involves significantly modifying the debt, operations, or structure of a company as a way of limiting financial harm and improving the business.

20  young African professionals from 17 countries of the 2024 cohort of the “ECA Fellowships for Young African Professionals” have completed their programme.

The program, which is supervised by the Strategic Planning, Oversight, and Results Division (SPORD), is designed to improve the skills and capacity of the fellows to address development issues affecting Africa, including Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063.

The fellows are under 35 years old, graduates with a Master’s Degree, or PhD candidates. They attend six to 12 months of training in various thematic development areas relevant to the continent’s development.

The fellowship offers mentorship and a unique hands-on experience and equips the fellows to conduct research aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063. They then present their findings for expert review at the ECA’s  Programme Policy and Dialogue Meetings.

Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the ECA, presented certificates to each fellow at a brief ceremony after the Programme and Policy Dialogue session on Wednesday  at UNCC.

Gatete lauded the fellows for their commitment to Africa’s development, considering their extensive research on various development issues in Africa.

He indicated that the ECA would continue to cooperate with them and promised that some of the research work would be further reviewed and developed into policy briefs.