First Independent Mena Newspaper
Morocco secured on Tuesday, July 22, a historic place in the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final after a tense 1-1 draw against Ghana ended in a 4-2 penalty shootout triumph. The breakthrough came when Stella Nyamekye scored for Ghana in the 26th minute, capitalising on a rebound from Josephine Bonsu’s header. Morocco […]
Nigeria’s economy has officially grown larger — at least on paper — but the West African country still remains the continent’s fourth-largest economy, behind South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria. Following a long-awaited GDP rebasing, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revised the country’s nominal output for 2024 to ₦372.8 trillion ($243 billion), up from ₦314 […]
On Monday, July 14, 2025, Mali has issued a strong diplomatic protest against the Czech Republic for denying entry visas to its U19 women’s basketball team, preventing their participation in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup held in Brno, from 12 to 20 July. The Foreign Ministry labelled the move as an “unfriendly act” and […]
Nigerian troops have killed more than 50 armed men in separate operations in the country’s conflict-ridden northeast and northwest, according to official statements released Thursday. In Katsina State, northwest Nigeria, security forces repelled coordinated attacks by hundreds of armed bandits raiding multiple villages on Tuesday (8 July). Katsina’s Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Nasir Mua’zu, said […]
West African leaders are rejecting U.S. efforts to offload third-country deportees, following a White House summit where President Donald Trump reportedly floated the idea of African nations accepting migrants refused by their own governments. Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló confirmed Thursday (10 July) that while Trump raised the issue during a Wednesday meeting with five […]
Rising costs of road freight across West Africa are threatening to derail the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), exporters and trade experts warn, as unofficial fees and bureaucratic bottlenecks mount along key trade corridors. A recent case study by the West African Association for Cross-Border Trade (WACTAF) reveals that transporting a truckload of goods […]
Africa has taken a major step toward financial self-determination with the launch of PAPSSCARD, the continent’s first Pan-African card scheme. Announced during the 32nd Afreximbank Annual Meetings in Abuja, Nigeria, the card aims to keep value, data, and economic benefits within Africa by processing payments entirely on the continent. The PAPSSCARD is a joint initiative […]
After more than a century abroad, 119 Benin Bronzes have returned to Nigeria, marking the largest single repatriation of looted artifacts to date. Originally stolen during a brutal British raid on the Benin Kingdom in 1897, the sculptures — including royal regalia, plaques, and ceremonial figures — were officially handed over by the Netherlands in […]
The Trump administration is considering a dramatic expansion of its travel ban, potentially targeting 36 additional countries — 25 of them in Africa — with full or partial visa restrictions, according to a leaked State Department cable. Signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the memo cites a 60-day deadline for affected nations to meet […]
A peaceful protest in Nigeria’s Benue State turned chaotic on Sunday (15 June) as police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators in the city of Makurdi who demanded justice after a massacre in Yelewata village left more than 100 people dead. Gunmen attacked the farming community late Friday (13 June), burning homes and killing civilians, […]