🔅 Cartoonists Expose African Politics, Leaders' Russia-Ukraine Mediation Mishap, Indian Meds Scandal, Zambia's Power Plant Flip, Italy's Detention Debacle
African Cartoonists Roast Politicians, Leaders' Ukraine Mediation Flop, India's Meds Scandal, Zambia's Power Plant U-turn, Italy's Detention Drugging
Photo of the day: Buracona, Cape Verde
Markets:
🟢 Nigerian SE: 59,110.02 (+0.16%)
🔴 Johannesburg SE: 76,769.22 (-1.60%)
🟢 Ghana SE: 2,712.69 (+0.07%)
🟢 Nairobi SE: 103.73 (+0.33%)
🔴 US S&P 500: 4,392.58 (-0.39%)
🔴 Shanghai Composite: 3,240.36 (-0.47%)
Ethiopian Airlines Soars Above the Competition | Ethiopian Airlines is flying high. Despite a Russian-Ukraine war and a spike in fuel prices, the carrier’s earnings soared 20% in the 2022/2023 fiscal year to $6.1 billion. In that time, the airline managed to transport 13.7 million passengers and 723,000 tons of cargo, expand its fleet by 11 passenger planes (with two converted to cargo planes), and add seven new international destinations, including Copenhagen, Atlanta, and Karachi. That’s not all: Ethiopian Airlines is also evaluating possible Airbus and Boeing wide-body plane orders, with a decision expected by the end of the year.
*Data accurate as of the close of markets across the continent
Brief & Bright: Africa's Top Five Highlights
✍🏽 The Cartoonists Taking on Africa's Politicians | When it comes to criticizing African politicians, cartoonists are the real heroes. Signing himself “Ogon”, Chrisogon Atukwasize from Uganda uses his cartoons in the Daily Monitor newspaper to speak truth to power. And he’s not alone. Across the continent, cartoonists are using their relative freedom to probe deeper than most journalists dare. It’s a tradition that goes back to the 1930s, when black artists began to publish political cartoons in Nigeria and South Africa. But it really took off in the 1990s, as a wave of democracy swept the continent. South Africa’s Zapiro, Senegal’s Goorgoorlou, and Kenya’s Godfrey Mwampembwa (Gado) are just some of the African cartoonists that have used their art to expose the hypocrisies of their governments. It’s not without its risks, of course. Gado got into trouble in 2015 after drawing the president of Tanzania as a half-naked hedonist, and he lost his job the next year. But that hasn’t stopped him. His recent targets include Uganda’s new anti-gay law. And while his cartoons often contain pointed commentary, Gado sometimes uses them as camouflage for even sharper verbal reflections. As he puts it, “When I started I would use that as a way of getting away with stuff because editors wouldn’t pay attention to it.”
🌍 African Leaders Take a Crack at Ending Ukraine-Russia Conflict | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and a delegation of African leaders made a big push to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict last week, but it seems that they were met with a big shrug. The mission was to mediate between the two warring sides, but the leaders weren't able to get the countries to agree to sit down and talk. President Putin even threw shade at the mission's 10-point proposal, which called for a de-escalation of fighting and greater humanitarian support. The war has caused grain and fertilizer shortages in African countries, leading to skyrocketing food prices. So, while the mission didn't make much progress, it did help raise international awareness about the economic impacts of the war on the continent.
🇱🇷 Contaminated Medicine from India Spreads to Liberia | The Indian drug industry is worth $42 billion, but the country’s medicinal exports aren’t always good news. Liberia has confiscated 250 cartons of Para Clear—a children’s paracetamol syrup made by an Ahmedabad-based manufacturer—after testing revealed that it contained toxic ethylene glycol. This isn’t the first time that Indian medicine has been linked to deaths either. Last year, Uzbekistan and Gambia had to investigate child deaths that were linked to allegedly tainted medicines from India. The country’s health officials have defended the safety of its drugs, but this latest incident isn’t helping their case.
🇿🇲 Zambia Calls It Quits: "This Dam is Too Expensive!" | The Zambian government recently decided to back out of a construction contract for a 2,400-megawatt power plant on the Zambezi River. The project, estimated to cost a whopping $5 billion, had been awarded to General Electric and Power Construction Corp. of China. But the country's Energy Minister Peter Kapala pointed out that the deal was not procured properly, and that the dam might only generate about 1,000 megawatts. So, the government decided to pull the plug on the project.
🏥 Italy's Repatriation Centers: Detainees Drugged to Keep Calm | Italy’s Repatriation Detention Centers (CPRs) have a reputation for keeping people quiet with the use of psychotropic drugs. That’s according to a former employee of one of the centers, who said the drugs help keep detainees “from eating, making waste, and claiming their rights”. Most of the migrants detained in CPRs are crossing from Tunisia, who can be repatriated from Italy under a 2011 agreement between the two countries. The centers, which can hold up to 90 people, have seen a surge in numbers. One former detainee, Youssef, described his experience of being locked up in a CPR as being like being in prison, and recounted seeing psychotropic drugs like Tramadol and Tavor being passed around. The “deportation machine” is only set to grow, with an additional €42.5 million earmarked for the expansion of the current network by 2025.
Food for Thought
“No matter how much the world changes, cats will never lay eggs.”
— Kenyan Proverb.
Are we hitting the mark?
Enjoying Baobab's updates? Spread the joy and share us with friends and colleagues — we'd be thrilled to have them join!
Feedback or thoughts? Just hit reply. We're all ears!