Africa 54 - August 17, 2020

You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Host Esther Githui-Ewart and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis. Top Stories: There is an uneasiness in the Somali capital on Monday following a massive explosion and attack by terrorists that left at least 16 people dead and more than 18 wounded. Officials and witnesses told VOA that a car bomb exploded outside the Elite Hotel at Mogadishu’s Lido Beach. A short time later armed gunmen stormed the hotel. Security forces arrived and battled the gunmen. The terrorist group al Shabbab is claiming responsibility for the heinous act. The hotel is owned by Abdullahi Mohamed Nor, a lawmaker and ex-finance minister and frequented by many government officials, government workers and people from the Somali diaspora. The attack follows an uprising at Mogadishu’s central prison on August 10th. Residents in Equatorial Guinea are dealing with a big political shake-up. The government and prime minister of the country tendered their resignations on Friday to President Teodoro Obiang, who says they had not done enough to help the country at a time of crisis. The central African oil producer is suffering a double economic shock linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and a drop in the price of crude, which provides about 75 percent of state revenue. Obiang, 78, has ruled the former Spanish colony since overthrowing his uncle in a 1979 coup. U.S. drug developer Novavax announced Monday that it is starting a mid-stage study of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa, as the country experiences a surge in coronavirus cases, according to Reuters. The phase 2-B trial study is being conducted on over 2,600 healthy adults and will evaluate the safety and immune-genicity in about 240 medically stable, HIV-positive adults, according to a company statement. Novavax research chief Gregory Glenn says because South Africa is experiencing a winter rise of coronavirus, this important phase 2B clinical trial has the potential to provide an early indication of efficacy, along with additional safety and immune-genicity data for the experimental vaccine. South Africa is fifth worst hit country with over 587,000 COVID-19 infections and nearly 12,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. South Africa is set to begin new lock-down restrictions at 12am on Tuesday. Under level two, President Cyril Ramaphosa says inter-provincial travel and family and social visits will be permitted. However, the president says restrictions on international travel, public gatherings, including funerals and religious events, spectators at sporting events as well as the 10pm to 4am curfew will remain in place. Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest have migrated to Kenya's Maasai Mara. But without the usual crowds of international tourists there are fears for the wildlife and people who depend on tourism revenue. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, looks to make it official this week when he formally accepts his party’s nomination at the democratic national convention. Biden made history last week by naming California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. For the first time, U.S. political parties are holding their presidential nominating conventions remotely, cancelling multi-day extravaganzas that in past election cycles have boosted the economies of host cities. #Somalia #Mogadishu #alShabbab #EquatorialGuinea #government #TeodoroObiang #COVID19 #Vaccine #Novavex #SouthAfrica #HVPositive #Lockdown #Kenya #MaasiMara #UnitedStates #Elections #Democratic #Republican #JoeBiden #DonaldTrump