🔅 Uganda's Bill Against Homosexuality
Plus: Nigeria's ruling party candidate leads, Kenya’s protests against the Chinese, A case against Total over oil projects in Uganda and Tanzania ruled inadmissible, And much more... ☕
Photo of the day: The National Theatre in Accra. Ghana
Markets
🔺 Nigerian SE: 55,806.26 (+0.86%)
🔺 Johannesburg SE: 77,733.87 (+0.28%)
🔺 Ghana SE: 2,408.03 (-0.77%)
🔻 Nairobi SE: 125.98 (+0.49%)
🔺 US S&P 500: 3,994.81 (+0.32%)
🔻 Shanghai Composite: 3,279.61 (+0.66%)
The US vs TikTok: The US has asked federal employees to delete the video app TikTok from their government-issued phones, which China has called “overreacting.” The White House has given agencies 30 days to get rid of the Chinese-owned app, following similar moves by the EU and Canada. Intelligence agencies are worried that sensitive information could be exposed when the app is downloaded to government devices. TikTok insists it doesn’t operate any differently than other social media companies, but that hasn’t stopped people from speculating that the app is harvesting users’ data and handing it over to the Chinese government.
Mali's Gold Rush Hits a Glitch: Mali’s gold production is expected to take a 3.5% dip in 2023, according to the country’s Mines Ministry. Companies like Barrick Gold, B2Gold Corp, Resolute Mining, AngloGold Ashanti, and Hummingbird Resources are the big names behind Mali’s industrial gold output, which is estimated to reach 63.9 tonnes this year. That’s a bit of a comedown from 66.2 tonnes in 2021. But when you add the estimated 6 tonnes produced in artisanal mines, you get a grand total of 69.9 tonnes of gold production in Mali this year.
*Data accurate as of the close of markets across the continent
POLITICS
Uganda's Bill Against Homosexuality
On Tuesday, Ugandan lawmaker Asuman Basalirwa introduced a bill that seeks to prohibit homosexuality in the East African country.
The bill would punish "promotion, recruitment and funding" related to LGBTQ activities and was met with widespread support from other legislators in the parliamentary chamber.
What does the bill seek to do?
The bill seeks to criminalize same-sex relationships in the country. It will be assessed by a parliamentary committee before it is debated in a plenary session.
Homosexuality is already criminalized under a colonial-era penal code, but the homophobic sentiment has grown, especially after the Church of England decided to bless civil marriages of same-sex couples.
What's the reaction been?
The country's Archbishop, Stephen Kaziimba, said that homosexuality was a "crisis at hand", calling those who are pro-gay marriage "false teachers".
Other legislators voiced similar anti-gay sentiments, saying that "you are either with us or you're with the Western world".
How widespread is this sentiment?
Homosexuality is criminalized in more than 30 of Africa's 54 countries.
The bill is an example of the struggle that LGBTQ people face on the continent.
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OTHER HEADLINES
Across the Continent
🇰🇪 Kenyan Traders vs Chinese Retailers | It's a David and Goliath situation in Kenya right now. A thousand local traders are protesting against a Chinese-owned retail shop that's offering goods at 50% cheaper than they can manage. The Chinese shop, China Square, has only been open a few weeks and it's already disrupting the Kenyan market. The owner, Lei Cheng, told a local newspaper that he was inspired to open the shop after finding the prices at a Nairobi supermarket to be exorbitant. The Trade Minister, Moses Kuria, has offered to take over the lease and give it to the local traders, but the Foreign Affairs Ministry is saying that all investors are welcome, regardless of nationality. Kenya's relationship with China has been in the spotlight since last year's presidential election, when William Ruto promised to publish government contracts with China and deport Chinese nationals working illegally. The president followed through on that promise in November, a move that could strain the country's relationship with its biggest bilateral creditor.
🇳🇬 Nigeria's Bola Tinubu Has the Lead | Nigeria’s ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu has taken an unassailable lead in the presidential election held over the weekend, according to a Reuters tally. The All Progressives Congress (APC) party, led by outgoing president Muhammadu Buhari, looks set to retain its grip on power in Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation. Tinubu grabbed 35% of the vote, with Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) following at 30%. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, an outsider popular with the youth and educated voters, trailed at 26%.
🇲🇿 Total & Saipem's Risky Mozambique Business | TotalEnergies and Saipem have announced their plan to build a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant in Mozambique—but they're taking a huge risk. The contract is worth a whopping 3.5 billion euros, but TotalEnergies is waiting on a human rights assessment to make sure they're not going to be contributing to an already dire humanitarian situation. That's a good question. The project was frozen in 2021 due to security issues.
🇺🇬 TotalEnergies Gets a Pass (For Now) | The Paris court ruled that a case against TotalEnergies over their controversial oil projects in Uganda and Tanzania was inadmissible. The activists were accusing the French company of not doing all it could to protect people and the environment in the two projects, the Tilenga oil development and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. The court said it was up to a judge to decide whether the accusations were founded, but for now, TotalEnergies is in the clear. No comment from either party yet.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Proverb of the Day
“Ugliness with a good character is better than beauty.”
— Nigerian Proverb.