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Ignatius Annor

Produced by Ignatius Annor

July 27, 2024
Sub-Saharan Africa leads the world in global HIV response, but advocates warn against risk of shrinking finance

Sub-Saharan Africa is leading the rest of the world in the global HIV response, according to a report by UNAIDS released during this week’s Munich HIV conference, in Germany. HIV/AIDS advocates attribute the success to "immense political will," but warned shrinking finance from donor countries risks derailing the gains made. VOA’s Ignatius Annor spoke to Anne Githuku-Shongwe, UNAIDS regional director for eastern and southern Africa from Johannesburg on the feat achieved by leaders and NGOs in the region, and Catherine Connor, vice president in charge of public policy and advocacy at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. The Washington-based non-profit organization is focused on eliminating HIV/AIDS in children. Connor tells VOA from Munich, Germany that the data around infections in children is "troubling" emphasizing the lack of "urgency" around pediatric HIV.
July 18, 2024
Analysts say US image as beacon of democracy is "diminishing" after Trump assassination attempt

On Saturday, July 13, a 20-year-old man nearly killed former Donald Trump, the former U.S. President at a rally in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania while he addressed his supporters. Federal authorities are working to unravel unanswered questions about the shooter and his motive. President Joe Biden has condemned the attack and denounced political violence following the assault on his main rival, Trump. Today, we hear from analysts of the latest developments and their implications ahead of the November 5 elections. VOA’s Ignatius Annor spoke to Michaela Millender, a research analyst at the Soufan Center in New York. Declan Galvin is managing director of Exigent Risk Advisory, a Nairobi-based strategic risk advisory consulting firm.
May 29, 2024
Ruto declares ironclad support for Haiti; endorses AGOA and defends cost of U.S. trip

WASHINGTON — Kenyan President William Ruto says Nairobi has met all legal and constitutional requirements needed to deploy troops to Haiti in a desperate attempt to help the Caribbean nation out of its current political and socio-economic turmoil.
May 09, 2024
Somaliland high schools take part in speed reading contest to promote literacy learning

WASHINGTON — Over 19 high schools comprising 174 girls across the breakaway region of Somaliland recently participated in a speed reading competition in the capital, Hargeysa, using ‘’Daariz,’’ a free language app. Daariz means study in Arabic.
May 04, 2024
IMF urges sub-Saharan African economies to broaden tax net

Mobilize more tax revenue to drive local economies. That’s a recommendation from the International Monetary Fund to sub-Saharan African nations as they continue to face a financial squeeze in 2024. Abebe Aemro Selassie, director of the African Department at the Bretton Wood institution, tells VOA that despite a good regional economic recovery, there’s still work ahead to achieve a robust recovery. VOA’s Ignatius Annor sat down with Abebe at IMF headquarters here in Washington recently and first asked him about why sub-Saharan Africa is facing a financial squeeze.
May 02, 2024
IMF names Niger, Senegal among sub-Saharan Africa’s fast-growing economies

The International Monetary Fund, IMF, has said that Niger and Senegal are among sub-Saharan Africa’s fast-growing economies due to their oil and gas resources expected on stream this year.
May 02, 2024
Oil and gas key to Niger & Senegal’s economic growth, IMF finds

The International Monetary Fund says Niger and Senegal are among sub-Saharan Africa’s fast growing economies due to their oil and gas resources. In its 2024 economic outlook for the region, the Bretton Wood Institution, says it is upbeat about a good regional economic recovery, but adds that growth has been more sluggish than expected. VOA’s Ignatius Annor reports from Washington.
April 22, 2024
IMF urges nations to build fiscal resilience against unforeseen crisis

The International Monetary Fund has made an urgent appeal to countries to build fiscal resilience so they can withstand an unforeseen crisis such as a pandemic, war or skyrocketing inflation. VOA’s Ignatius Annor reports.
April 19, 2024
IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings weighs pros & cons of AI

The future of artificial intelligence and its impact on jobs the world over was one of the focal point for deliberations at the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington Thursday as the world grapples with regulating the industry. At a debate on the topic, the panelists including managing director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, highlighted AI’s potential for economic transformation, while underscoring the risks it poses. Georgieva, however, sounded the alarm against excluding developing economies from this emerging tech industry.
April 18, 2024
IMF, World Bank meetings continue in Washington

The Spring Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) are continuing in Washington DC. VOA’s Esther Githui-Ewart spoke to VOA’s Ignatius Annor live at the World Bank Headquarters for more on today’s proceedings as well as how global inflation is affecting the world's financial outlook.
April 17, 2024
Annual IMF/World Bank meetings prioritize access to electricity in Africa

The Spring Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) are taking place in Washington D.C. The meeting brings together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, parliamentarians, private sector executives, civil society organizations and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness. VOA's Esther Githui-Ewarts and Ignatius Annor discuss some of the major outcomes of the meetings.
March 08, 2024
Women Advocates Flag Unpaid Work for Women as Barriers to Gender Equity

Women's rights advocates say unpaid work by women, particularly those in developing economies like Africa's are a barrier to gender equity, saying holistic reforms are needed to tackle the issue as the world marks International Women’s Day on Friday.
February 22, 2024
Is South Africa’s Case Against Israel at the ICJ Having Any Impact at All?

The International Court of Justice continued the fourth day of hearings in The Hague Thursday into a request by the General Assembly for a non-binding advisory opinion on the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict involving occupied territories. South Africa’s representative addressed the 15-member panel of international judges Tuesday arguing at the United Nations' top court that Israel is responsible for apartheid against the Palestinians and that Israel's occupation of land sought for a Palestinian state is "inherently and fundamentally illegal." Israel has rejected such claims. VOA’s Ignatius Annor joined host of VOA’s Straight Talk Africa, Haydé Adams, on this week’s edition, to discuss why Pretoria says it identifies with the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, and whether preliminary measures issued by the court on January 26 is having any impact at all.
December 07, 2023
US Considers Policy Options with Rising Instability in Sahel

Exacerbating conflicts and instability in Sahel nations like Sudan, Niger, Chad and others, prompted a Congressional hearing by the U.S. Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa this week focused on U.S. policy in the region. For an analysis on the proposed policy changes by lawmakers and diplomats, VOA’s Esther Githui-Ewart spoke to VOA’s Ignatius Annor, who attended the hearing.
December 07, 2023
US Examines Sahel Policy Amid Rising Instability

The United States Congress is urging a "strong coordinated U.S. response" to tackle conflicts and instability in the Sahel, which it describes as dire as it examines its policy toward the region. VOA’s Ignatius Annor reports from Capitol Hill.
November 13, 2023
After Chad, South Africa Recall Diplomats from Israel, Will Others Follow?

WASHINGTON — Analysts say more African countries may recall their diplomats from Israel as a sign of discontentment with the nation’s continuous bombardment of the Gaza Strip following the October 7 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
November 13, 2023
Protesters Clash in South Africa Over Israel-Hamas War

Over the weekend protesters clashed in Cape Town, South Africa, over continued war between Israel and the Hamas militant group. VOA’s Esther Githui-Ewart spoke to VOA’s Ignatius Annor, who details the increasing tensions between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators throughout the African continent.
October 29, 2023
Analysts Scrutinize Ramaphosa Comparing Gaza Conflict to South Africa’s Apartheid

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s comparison of Israel’s continuous bombardment of the Gaza Strip since Hamas’ October 7 attack on the Middle Eastern nation to that of his country’s apartheid has divided analysts and political proponents.
October 19, 2023
US Congresswoman Says Israel-Hamas Cease-fire Resolution Gaining Traction

A U.S. Congresswoman for the Midwestern state of Missouri Cori Bush says a resolution introduced by a group of U.S. lawmakers calling for a cease-fire between the Israeli state and Hamas, is gaining traction as tension brews in the Middle East over an expected invasion by Israeli troops.
October 19, 2023
Palestinian and Israeli Protestors Join Forces in Calling for End to War

As the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalates in Gaza and Tel Aviv, in Washington, protestors comprising Israelis and Palestinians gathered in at the National Mall to call an end to the war. VOA reporter Ignatius Annor spoke with some who attended the protest organized by groups called Jewish Voices for Peace and IfNotNow.

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