In 2019 there were many happenings and our news team covered a lot of them.
Some of these happenings brought joy, pain and inspiration to many across the continent.
These stories also revealed a lot about the continent of Africa and the potential of its culture and society as well as its people.
Our news team has put together some of the stories that made it into it’s top 10 news events for 2019.
Top ten stories of 2019
1. DEATH OF ROBERT MUGABE
Thousands of Zimbabweans mourned the death of former president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe who died at the age of 95.
The former president of Zimbabwe died in Singapore at a hospital where he was undergoing medical treatment.
He was finally buried in his home village after his family refused to accept an arrangement for him to be buried at the Heroes’ Acre national monument near the capital, Harare.
Mugabe was born on 21 February 1924, in what was then Rhodesia. He led Zimbabwe to independence in 1980 and has ruled the country for decades.
Mugabe was Zimbabwe’s first post-independence leader but resigned from power after a military takeover in November 2017.
2. Gambia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission starts hearing
The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) of Gambia also started hearing stories of witnesses as it investigates happenings during the Jammeh era.
Yahya Jammeh ruled Gambia for 22 years until he was forced out of power in 2017.
But his country has been left in a state of bitterness due to the several reports of extrajudicial killings, torture and forced disappearances under that regime.
The commission’s work will primarily offer some compensation to individuals who suffered torture, molestation and other crimes including killings under Mr. Jammeh’s regime.
There are eleven commissioners who are hearing the stories of witnesses and hope to document the scale of the abuses by October 2020.
3. African leaders finally launch world’s biggest free trade deal
African leaders this year in Niger’s capital Niamey finally launched the much talked about continental free-trade zone.
It would be the world’s largest free trade area uniting 1.3 billion people and creating a $3.4 trillion economic bloc.
The free trade zone is considered a critical action to usher Africa into a new era of development.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) will have 54 African Union (AU) members.
The CFTA is a major project of the AU’s long-term development plan Agenda 2063, which emphasis the need to ease trade and travel across the continent.
4. ECOWAS finally adopts ECO as single currency
ECOWAS announced in 2019 that beginning in January 2020, countries within the West African sub-region will be able to use a single currency called ECO.
The currency was adopted by the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government at a meeting in Nigeria’s capital Abuja.
The West African leaders endorsed the currency at their 55th Ordinary Session and approved a road map towards the currency’s issuance in January 2020.
There was a roadmap to ensure that all member countries meet three primary criteria for the adoption of the currency.
5. Maraphones: Africa’s first smartphone manufactured in Rwanda
Africa now has a smartphone manufactured on the continent in a smartphone factory in Rwanda.
The Maraphones are now on sale and were launched to the world at a Tech summit in Paris.
The new smartphone factory for the production of the Maraphones was officially opened in April 2019.
The Mara Phones according to its Founder Ashish J Thakkar are among the first devices to run Android Oreo.
Android Oreo is an OS optimized for apps like YouTube Go, Facebook Lite and Twitter Lite that are made for the African market.
6. Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed wins 2019 Nobel Peace Prize
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed was named the winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.
He was awarded the Nobel for his efforts to “achieve peace and international cooperation” within the East African sub-region.
Ahmed was named as the winner of the 100th Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.
The prize, worth $900,000 will be awarded to him in Oslo in December.
Ahmed’s Ethiopia reached a peace deal with Eritrea in 2018. That ended a 20-year military stalemate after years of border war between 1998-2000.
7. Ghanaian undercover journalist murdered
Ahmed Hussein-Suale. Photo: BBCGhanaian under cover journalist, Ahmed Hussein-Suale was killed by unknown gunmen in Ghana’s capital, Accra whilst driving home.
The Police said he was shot three times, twice in the chest and another in the neck, dying instantly.
The investigator worked with ace investigative Ghanaian journalist Anas Aremeyaw on many stories including the expose’ on corruption in Ghana football.
Hussein-Saule’s killing came months after a Ghanaian lawmaker Kennedy Agyapong splashed his pictures on national TV.
The MP called for vengeance over his role in the football corruption probe.
8. U.S lawmakers weep after tour of Slave Castles in Ghana
Most members of the U.S congressional delegation that visited Ghana this year reportedly wept after touring slave castles in central part of the country.
The speaker of United States congress, Nancy Pelosi led the delegation of American lawmakers to Ghana.
Pelosi led the congressional delegation to the Cape Coast and Elmina Castles as part of the visit.
The delegation visited the “Door of No Return” as they participate in the Year of Return activities.
The Year of Return activity is offering Africans in the Diaspora the chance to return to the continent and reconnect.
It has been 400 years after the first set of slaves left the shores of Africa to the USA.
9. Outrage over the sacking of AU Ambassador Chihombori-Quao
Many Africans in the Diaspora were also angered by the sacking of the African Union (AU) Permanent Ambassador in the United States.
Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao was appointed to the position in December 2016 and has been able to galvanize the support of peoples of African Descent in the U.S and beyond.
Chihombori-Quao is very outspoken and has become a leading voice for Pan-Africanism.
She has been heard on several occasions criticizing the west for maintaining neo-colonial policies that are meant to keep Africa poor.
She left the post this year to the dislike of many, although the African Union said she was sacked for misconduct.
10. The Gambian footballer signed and sacked in a day
Gambia‘s Alpha Jallow was signed by Memenenspor football club in Turkey on July 8 2019.
That action meant Jallow’s dream of playing professional football in Europe at the top level was just about to become a reality.
But just within 24 hours that dream was shattered after the club terminated the contract for a reported mistaken identity.
Jallow was signed together with Ivorian footballer Ibrahim Sangare from Gd Alconchetense a third division club in Portugal and Giresunspor’da of Turkey respectively.
Both players signed a two-year contract but Gambia born Alpha Jallow was left heartbroken when it was revealed that he was not the player Memenenspor football club really wanted to sign.
Source: Africafeeds.com
