Africa – 05 February 2024

AFRICA

• Namibian President Hage Geingob died Sunday while receiving medical treatment, his office announced. He was 82. In a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, the Namibian presidency said Geingob’s medical team at Lady Pohamba Hospital did its best to help him, but Geingob died with his wife, Monica Geingos, and children by his side. Geingob was undergoing treatment for cancer. Angolo Mbumba, Namibia’s acting president, called for calm, saying in the same post that the “Cabinet will convene with immediate effect in order to make the necessary state arrangements in this regard.” Geingob, who was president of the southern African nation since 2015, was set to finish his second and final term in office this year. Namibia is set to hold elections to choose a new leader in November. (Source)

• Italy hosts African presidents. Several African leaders were in Rome this week for the Italy-Africa summit, which is aimed at boosting relations between Africa and the European nations. During the two-day summit, Italy launched a new approach for cooperating with African countries, which is not predatory, not paternalistic, but not charitable either, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said. The targeted areas for collaboration include energy, economic and infrastructure development, culture, food security, and education and vocational training.