LIBERIA: WOMEN: Female presidents vow to empower women
MONROVIA - Africa’s two female heads of state, Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Malawian president Joyce Banda have joined forces to advance women empowerment in the continent.

ALGERIA: ELECTIONS: Voters show disinterest for upcoming elections
ALGIERS - Algeria’s May 10th elections face a possible low turnout as citizens’ hopes for change continue to dwindle.

SIERRA LEONE: AGRICULTURE: Smallholder farmers encouraged to trade
LAMBAYAMA - The eastern Sierra Leonean community of Lambayama is finally waking up to the reality that they can farm rice for both self sustenance and for trade to make an income. This is part of the country’s government plan called the Smallholder Commercialisation Programme (SCP) that is trying to put local farmers back in control of the country’s most-consumed crop.

SOUTH AFRICA: AGRICULTURE: Smallholder famers against genetically modified seeds
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s smallholder farmers face a losing battle against government for seed security.

SOUTH SUDAN: AGRICULTURE: Conflict leads to price hikes
BENTIU - Violence in the conflict plagued South Sudan’s northern border states has lead to an increased number of residents leaving their homes is search of affordable food.

DRC: AGRICULTURE: DRC cassava farmers embrace new farming methods
DRC - Democratic Republic of Congo farmers are benefitting from a new variety of cassava, which, in combination with improved agricultural techniques, outperforms other popular types of the crop.

SENEGAL: AGRICULTURE: Cashew producers want to cut out the middleman
CASAMANCE - Cashew nut production in the Senegalese region of Casamance has dropped sharply from last year. The drop has been attributed to a decrease in rainfall, conflict in the regions and low prices.

AFRICA: AGRICULTURE: 'Land rush' rules postponed
FREETOWN - The adoption of international guidelines to regulate so-called land grabs has been postponed after negotiators failed to agree on conditions for large-scale land investments and enforcement.

AFRICA: AGRICULTURE: Chinese methods may not work for Africa
ST PAUL - Experts are pushing hybrid seeds and chemical inputs to increase food production in sub-Saharan Africa, but the strategy could backfire. The region is struggling to feed people as high food prices and famine put strain on resources.

GUINEA-BISSAU: POLITICS: Coup leaders under pressure to restore democracy
GUINEA-BISSAU - Rebel leaders have released Guinea-Bissau's Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior and interim president Raimundo Pereira, who were arrested in the country's Apr. 12 coup, and have flown them to Côte d'Ivoire.

MALI: HUMAN RIGHTS: Mali dangerously close to civil war
AZAWAD - Various groups of Tuareg rebels in Mali have come together since January, in an attempt to administer a new northern state called Azawad.

SOUTH SUDAN: ECONOMY: Conflict leads to price hikes
BENTIU - Violence in the conflict plagued South Sudan’s northern border states has lead to an increased number of residents leaving their homes is search of affordable food.

LIBYA GOVERNANCE: Scores killed in Libyan violence
KUFRA - More than 100 people have been reported dead after the recent outbreak of violence between the largely segregated Zwai and Tabu tribes in Libya’s remote Saharan town of Kufra.

MALI: HUMAN RIGHTS: Rebel groups rape women
MALI - An increasing number of Malian women are being raped by Tuareg rebels and armed groups. The rebels have swept across the north of Mali since the beginning of the year, expelling all government troops from the region.

KENYA: ECONOMY: Kenya set for economic boom
KENYA - Kenya is set for a great economic boost when its newly announced geothermal power generation project comes online. The project is expected to turn the East African country into an economic powerhouse in the region.

TUNISIA HUMAN RIGHTS: Protest ban causes violent uproar
TUNIS - Thousands of centre-left demonstrators violently clashed with police in street battles that completely shut down central Tunis last week. Scores of people were left seriously injured.

SOUTH AFRICA: WATER: Diepsloot water restored after eight days of misery
JOHANNESBURG - Thousands of residents in Diepsloot, a township north of Johannesburg, South Africa, queued for hours to access clean, safe water a week after their supply was contaminated by sewage.

SOUTH AFRICA: ECONOMY: Recycling gives jobs to the poor
Johannesburg - The South African government’s move towards a green economy is benefitting the country’s most poor. The government wants to create 300,000 jobs within a decade in this sector.

KENYA: ECONOMY: Youth engages with politicians via social media
NAIROBI - Kenyan youth are voicing their concerns via social media to get the attention of the country’s policy makers. Unemployment is one of the biggest challenges facing both the educated and uneducated youth of Kenya.

SOUTH SUDAN: SOCIAL: Child soldiers set for reintegration with society
SOUTH SUDAN - South Sudan militia groups aim to have all child soldiers removed from their ranks in two years time. There are 2,000 child soldiers in South Sudan according to the UN children’s fund. The process of reintegrating South Sudan’s child soldiers into their old lives begins soon.

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