Africa

BOTSAT-1, Botswana's first space satellite, has passed all tests and is ready for launch from Space X's facilities in California, USA, and the long-awaited event is expected to take place soon after technical problems delayed it

The suspension of the issuance of mining permits will be partially lifted upon initiative of the Mali's Ministry of Mines; the awarding of mining titles had been halted in November 2022, citing efforts to improve the licensing process

The Dutch government has launched an independent investigation into human rights violations reportedly perpetrated by Mozambique forces against civilians in 2021 in the context of the LNG project kidnapping, raping and killing dozens of local residents

The National Arts Council of Namibia, under the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, presented its new branding in Windhoek; the rebranding, which includes a new logo and website, aims at reaffirming Namibia's creative sector

The Nile Basin Initiative, pursuing sustainable socio-economic development through the equitable utilization of the common Nile basin water, handed over 8 state-of-the-art hydrological monitoring stations to Tanzania to optimize water management

In recent years, Eswatini has achieved major milestones in snakebite management, reducing snakebite deaths to zero in the summer season of 2023; results are now threatened by funding cuts, exacerbated by the suspension of US aid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will pay an official visit to South Africa on Thursday 10 April, the South African presidency confirmed, calling it part of an inclusive peace process after talks with Russian President Putin

In an effort to support small tea planters, a free fertiliser distribution ceremony was held as part of the Tea Sector Support Scheme

Orange Sierra Leone donated 100 durable tarpaulins to the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, through the Ministry of Social Welfare, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives

The national oil company announced a public tender round for oil and gas exploration – the first in seventeen years, a long-anticipated move that marks a milestone in Libya’s efforts to revitalize its energy industry by attracting foreign investment

Over 2.500 schools have been destroyed or occupied due to the ongoing conflict in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu; the crisis has affected more than 1 million students

A tender for a solar-plus-storage hybrid project to be built in the north-eastern port city of Berbera has been opened by Somalia's Ministry of Energy and Minerals