Ịdekọ News Africa

US Commits Additional $267m to Contain Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo

The United States is committing an additional $267 million to strengthen efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bringing its total support for the emergency response to nearly $887 million.

The new funding will be used to expand treatment capacity and strengthen measures aimed at stopping further transmission. Planned interventions include additional treatment centres, disease surveillance, contact tracing, protective equipment and other emergency response activities.

The commitment comes as health authorities continue to battle the outbreak while early signs suggest that containment measures are beginning to have an effect. However, Congolese officials say the disease remains a serious public health challenge requiring sustained resources.

The latest US funding was announced on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly as international partners seek to maintain the response and address shortages in available financing.

Beyond treating people already infected, much of the funding will support the systems needed to detect new cases quickly and trace people who may have been exposed. Health workers will also require protective equipment to reduce the risk of transmission while caring for patients.

The continued need for international financing highlights the cost of controlling Ebola, particularly in communities where health systems and emergency response capacity face significant pressure. International partners are expected to continue mobilising resources as the response moves from containing the current outbreak to preventing wider transmission.

#unitedstates #ebola #drcongo #health #idekoafrica

8 hours ago | [YT] | 0

Ịdekọ News Africa

Uganda’s Public Debt Rises 14.8% to $37.1 Billion

Uganda’s total public debt rose by 14.8% in the 12 months to June 2026, reaching $37.1 billion as the government increased domestic borrowing to finance its budget deficit, the Finance Ministry said.

The debt stock rose from $32.3 billion in June 2025, while public debt as a share of gross domestic product increased to 54.3%, from 51.3% a year earlier. External debt accounted for 43.9% of the total.

The ministry said the increase was driven mainly by higher domestic debt issuance during the financial year that ended in June, including increased sales of Treasury bonds.

Uganda has increasingly turned to longer-term domestic borrowing to finance development needs and reduce refinancing and rollover risks. The government introduced a 25-year Treasury bond last year, the longest maturity in its domestic debt portfolio.

The rise in debt comes amid concerns over Uganda’s growing interest burden. Fitch affirmed the country’s sovereign rating at “B” with a stable outlook in August, saying rising public debt and high interest costs remained constraints.

Uganda’s government has said its borrowing is supporting investments in infrastructure, energy, water, agriculture, education and health, while seeking to strengthen domestic revenue collection.

#uganda #dept #publicdept #deptstock #idekoafrica

12 hours ago | [YT] | 0

Ịdekọ News Africa

US Judge Blocks Trump’s Media Ban, Orders White House to Restore Access

A US federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, ordering the administration to immediately restore the journalists’ access.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued the temporary restraining order early Thursday, allowing reporters from the three outlets to return to the White House while their legal challenge continues. The order will remain in place for 14 days as the judge considers whether to grant longer-term relief.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico had sued the administration, arguing that their exclusion violated First Amendment protections for the press and denied them due process. The outlets said their credentials were revoked without prior notice or an opportunity to challenge the decision.

Kelly said the news organisations appeared likely to succeed in arguing that the administration had failed to follow legal precedents requiring journalists to be given notice and an opportunity to respond before their access is withdrawn. He also expressed skepticism about the administration’s claim that national security concerns motivated the ban.

Trump announced the ban last Friday, accusing the three outlets of publishing what he described as false reporting. The Justice Department defended the decision, arguing that access to the White House is a privilege rather than a right and citing national security and professional-conduct concerns.

The dispute had also disrupted the White House television press pool. CNN had been scheduled to accompany Trump to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, but its exclusion led ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News to suspend the shared television coverage system.

The Justice Department is expected to appeal the judge’s ruling, leaving the broader dispute over White House press access unresolved.

#unitedstates #judge #mediaban #trump #idekoafrica

17 hours ago | [YT] | 0

Ịdekọ News Africa

Nigeria Cuts Key Interest Rate by 3.5 Percentage Points, Biggest Reduction Since 2006

Nigeria’s central bank has cut its benchmark interest rate by 3.5 percentage points to 23%, its largest reduction since 2006, as Governor Olayemi Cardoso said the economy had shown greater resilience and stability.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced the decision after its Monetary Policy Committee meeting on September 21–22, reducing the Monetary Policy Rate from 26.5% to 23%. The committee also adjusted its standing facilities corridor while retaining banks’ existing cash reserve requirements.

Cardoso described the move as an “operational reset” rather than a change in the bank’s underlying monetary-policy stance. He said previous tightening measures had helped moderate inflation, strengthen foreign-exchange stability and improve investor confidence.

The MPC noted that headline inflation eased to 15.39% in August, while the economy grew by 4.43% in the second quarter of 2026. Nigeria’s gross external reserves stood at $55.25 billion as of September 18, according to the committee.

The rate reduction is expected to lower borrowing costs over time, potentially providing relief to businesses and consumers. However, analysts have also warned that cheaper credit could create renewed inflationary and foreign-exchange pressures if monetary conditions ease too quickly.

The CBN said future policy decisions would remain data-dependent, with the next MPC meeting scheduled for November 23–24.

#interestrate #cbn #centralbank #monetarypolicy #idekoafrica

1 day ago | [YT] | 0

Ịdekọ News Africa

NGO Links $271 Million in US Properties to 61 Nigerian Officials

An investigative report by two anti-corruption organisations has identified 284 properties in the United States worth about $271 million linked to 61 current and former high-level Nigerian officials, their families, associates and affiliated companies.

The report, titled “Nigeria: Dirty Deeds — How Top Nigerian Officials Bought a Piece of America,” was produced by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) and the Anti-Corruption Data Collective.

The investigation found that 152 properties worth about $177 million were acquired while the officials were in office. It also found that 230 properties, valued at roughly $232 million, were purchased without apparent financing, a pattern the investigators said could raise money-laundering concerns.

The properties were linked to officials across the security, executive, legislative, state government and state-owned enterprise sectors. Security, executive and legislative officials accounted for about 82% of the total property value identified.

The investigators said they relied on US property records, corporate registries, Nigerian government records and other publicly available information. Each property was independently assessed, with at least two additional identifying links required before it was attributed to an individual or associated entity.

The report includes individuals who have previously faced corruption allegations or legal proceedings, but the property links themselves do not establish that every acquisition involved stolen public funds or criminal conduct.

PPLAAF described the findings as evidence of gaps in efforts to prevent illicit wealth from being moved across borders and invested in foreign real estate.

Neither Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission nor presidential spokespeople had responded to AFP’s requests for comment at the time of its report.

#ngo #us #property #nigerians #idekoafrica

1 day ago | [YT] | 0

Ịdekọ News Africa

US Media Groups Sue Trump Over White House Ban as Press Freedom Dispute Deepens

CNN, MS NOW and Politico have taken legal action against US President Donald Trump after his administration barred the three media organisations from accessing the White House.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Washington, seeks to stop the administration from enforcing the ban. The organisations argue that removing their journalists from the White House because of their reporting interferes with freedom of speech and freedom of the press, rights protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

The dispute has also affected how other major television networks cover the president. ABC, CBS, Fox News, CNN and NBC normally operate a shared television pool that provides footage of presidential events to broadcasters across the country. The other four networks suspended the arrangement after CNN was prevented from carrying out its scheduled pool duties during Trump's trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump announced the ban on Friday and accused CNN, MS NOW and Politico of publishing false reports about his administration. He has continued to defend the decision, while the White House says the affected organisations can still report from outside the White House grounds.

The case has renewed debate in the United States over the relationship between government and the media, particularly whether officials can restrict journalists' access because they disagree with their reporting.

The dispute comes as the Trump administration faces another legal battle over media access involving the Associated Press, which was previously restricted from certain presidential events after a disagreement over the agency's use of the name “Gulf of Mexico.”

At the centre of the latest case is a wider question about freedom of speech and the public's access to independent information about government. The court's decision could help clarify how far a US administration can go in controlling which news organisations have direct access to the president and his officials.

#unitedstates #press #media #trump #idekoafrica

2 days ago | [YT] | 0

Ịdekọ News Africa

Nigeria Records West Africa’s First Telerobotic Surgery Across 500km

Nigeria has recorded what health officials described as West Africa’s first telerobotic surgery, with surgeons in Ogun State remotely operating on a patient about 500 kilometres away in Abuja.

The procedure was performed by Redeemer’s Health Village in Mowe, Ogun State, in collaboration with RoboMed Global and Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja.

The operation was a right radical nephrectomy to remove a kidney affected by a cancerous tumour. The surgeon controlled a robotic system from the Redeemer’s Health Village while the patient remained at Nisa Premier Hospital.

Prof. Obi Davies-Ekwenna, who led the procedure, said the successful operation demonstrated how telesurgery could help overcome geographical barriers and connect patients with specialist surgeons without requiring them to travel.

Redeemer’s Health Village chief executive, Dr Adedamola Dada, said the development could eventually allow specialists outside Nigeria to operate remotely on patients in the country.

However, Dada identified a shortage of trained personnel as a major challenge to expanding robotic surgery. He called for government-backed training and scholarships for surgeons, nurses and biomedical engineers.

The facility also announced plans for a robotic surgery academy aimed at developing local expertise and reducing Nigeria’s dependence on overseas medical treatment.

#telerobotic #surgery #health #nigeria #idekoafrica

2 days ago | [YT] | 0

Ịdekọ News Africa

20,000 Health Workers to Receive Trial Ebola Vaccine in Eastern DRC

At least 20,000 frontline health workers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo will receive the Ervebo Ebola vaccine as part of a clinical study examining whether it can protect against the virus driving the country’s latest outbreak.

The study, launched on September 19 in Bunia, Ituri province, will cover health workers in Ituri and North Kivu over about nine to 12 months. It is being conducted by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and its research arm, Epicentre, alongside the Congolese Ministry of Health.

Ervebo is licensed against the Zaire strain of Ebola but has not been approved for the Bundibugyo virus, which is responsible for the current outbreak. There is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain.

The World Health Organization has allocated 70,000 Ervebo doses to the DRC, with 50,000 intended for frontline and health workers and 20,000 reserved for a Phase 3 clinical trial. Early laboratory and animal studies suggest the vaccine could provide some protection against Bundibugyo, but its effectiveness in humans remains uncertain.

The vaccination campaign comes as the outbreak continues to spread, with health workers facing particularly high exposure risks. The DRC had recorded 7,541 confirmed cases and 3,639 deaths by September 19, according to government figures cited by the Associated Press.

Researchers say the study is intended not only to protect those responding to the outbreak but also to generate evidence that could guide future use of the vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain.

#healthworkers #ebola #vaccine #drcongo #idekoafrica

2 days ago | [YT] | 0

Ịdekọ News Africa

US Expands Third-Country Deportations With Africa Drawn Into Migration Deals

The United States has deported at least 25,447 migrants to countries with which they have no previous ties, under agreements reached with 35 countries since President Donald Trump returned to office, according to an international investigation.

Data compiled by Forbidden Stories and its media partners show that about 20,000 of those deportees were sent to Mexico, while others were transferred to 27 countries across Africa, Latin America and the Pacific. Agreements have also been concluded with seven additional countries, expanding a system designed to move migrants out of the US when direct removal to their home countries is not possible.

The arrangements have also created a financial network around deportations. The investigation found that the US government has earmarked about $410 million for the programme, including payments to participating governments and funding for United Nations agencies involved in migration and refugee assistance. Cameroon and Eswatini are among the African countries that have received deportees, while 49 of Africa’s 54 countries have reportedly been approached.

The growing role of African countries has raised questions about how migrants are treated after arrival, particularly when they have no family, legal or social connections in the receiving country. Lawyers cited in the investigation have warned that some deportees could face prolonged detention and limited access to legal protection.

The programme is being coordinated largely through the US State Department’s Office of Remigration, created in 2025 to negotiate and manage such arrangements. Some agreements involve direct financial incentives, while others are linked to broader US assistance programmes.

The findings highlight how African countries are increasingly being drawn into the US immigration enforcement system, becoming destinations for people removed from America despite having no previous connection to the countries receiving them.

#unitedstates #deportation #migration #africa #idekoafrica

3 days ago | [YT] | 0

Ịdekọ News Africa

Ondo state Governor Plans Dangote Share Purchase for 500 Ondo Youths

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has announced plans to purchase Dangote shares for 500 young entrepreneurs as part of a new strategy to promote youth investment and wealth creation.

Aiyedatiwa made the announcement at the 2026 Ondo State Entrepreneurs Summit in Akure, saying the initiative would give selected young people direct exposure to the capital market and long-term asset ownership.

The governor also announced N80 million in grants for 20 entrepreneurs, with each beneficiary receiving N4 million through the state’s My IDEA programme.

In addition, his administration launched the Lucky Light Initiative, a solar-power programme targeting 1,000 small businesses across the state, aimed at reducing their dependence on expensive petrol and diesel generators.

Aiyedatiwa said the initiatives were designed to help young entrepreneurs expand their businesses, create jobs and contribute to Ondo’s economic growth.

Details of the proposed Dangote share purchase, including the value of shares each beneficiary will receive and how the beneficiaries will be selected, have not yet been disclosed.

#governor #dangote #shares #youth #idekoafrica

3 days ago | [YT] | 0