Nigeria: Ramadan Starts in Nigeria On Wednesday - Sultanate Council

[Premium Times] The Sultan of Sokoto and President General, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has accepted the reports and accordingly declared Wednesday, 18 February, 2026 as the first day of Ramadan Source

Namibia: Namibian MPs Call for Review of Former Presidents' Retirement Perks and Wealth

[Namibian] Members of parliament say the benefits presidents receive after retirement need to be revisited. Source

Kenya: TikTok Removes 580,000 Videos in Kenya Over Guideline Violations

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- TikTok removed more than 580,000 videos in Kenya during the third quarter of 2025 for violating its Community Guidelines, according to the platform's latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report. Source

Africa: Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mourns the Passing of Hon. Rev Jesse Jackson

[African Union] The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has joined leaders across the world in mourning the passing of the Hon. Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, who died at the age of 84. He described him as a towering figure whose life's work resonated profoundly with Africa's historic and ongoing struggles for justice, dignity, equality, and liberation. Source

Nigeria: Workers Give Wike 72 Hours to Release Kuje Council Allocation

[Daily Trust] The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has given FCT Minister Nyesom Wike a 72-hour ultimatum to release the January 2026 staff salaries or risk a total shutdown of the territory's six area councils. Source

West Africa: Nigeria Implemented Only 10 of 66 Cases Passed in 25 Years - Ecowas Court

[Daily Trust] Nigeria has executed only 10 cases out of the 66 cases decided by the ECOWAS Court since its inception in 2001. Source

South Africa: Trump's Pick As U.S. Ambassador Arrives in Pretoria As Tensions Persist

[RFI] Shaky relations between the US and South Africa face a key test as newly arrived ambassador Brent Bozell takes up his post in Pretoria. Source

Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone's Harsh New Laws to Protect Women and Girls Are Causing Harm in the Wrong Places

[The Conversation Africa] In the decades after Sierra Leone's civil war (1991-2002), there was pressure on the west African country to demonstrate progress on gender equality. Laws were passed to fight domestic violence, rape and teen pregnancy. But drawing on colonial legal models, the reforms don't always match social realities and in many cases are harming young people from poor communities. Punishment is being made more important than resolution or education. Source

Uganda: Kizza Besigye - the Firebrand Who Has Shaped Opposition Politics in Uganda

[The Conversation Africa] Uganda's Kizza Besigye has been described as possibly the most arrested man in Africa. Besigye was once President Yoweri Museveni's ally, and personal physician. He broke ranks with Museveni in 1999, and emerged as the most long-standing political opponent to the ageing president, who has run the country since 1986. For this, Besigye has been jailed, kept under house arrest, renditioned, forced into exile, and endured state violence countless times. He has been in jail since 2024. Barney Walsh and Dennis Source

Africa: Maternal Deaths Spike During War and Instability, New Report Warns

[UN News] Nearly two thirds of all maternal deaths worldwide occur in countries marked by conflict or fragility, according to a report released on Tuesday by the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners. Source

Sudan: Sudan Crisis - UN Agency Launches $1.6 Billion Appeal to Support Refugees in Seven Countries

[UN News] As the war in Sudan approaches a fourth year, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and 123 partners appealed on Tuesday for $1.6 billion to support millions of people forced to flee the country in pursuit of safety. Source

Africa: One Crop, Three Identities - What Bambara Groundnut Teaches Us About The Future Of Pulses

[allAfrica] On World Pulses Day, the theme chosen by the Food and Agriculture Organization, ''Pulses of the world: from modesty to excellence,'' could not be more timely. It captures a quiet transformation already unfolding across kitchens, streets, and food labs, especially in low- and middle-income countries where pulses have long anchored diets, livelihoods, and resilience. Source