Ukraine war fuels food crisis in distant Africa

March 17, 1992: This date will forever be remembered in South Africa as the day when whites voted to end the apartheid system that privileged them and oppressed others. The country has seen momentous change since then — but is still wracked by injustice and poverty.

Russia's war in Ukraine is derailing the global economy's recovery from the pandemic. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is the latest to slash its forecast for economic growth, warning of high inflation and a possible food crisis. Also in the show: India's central bank raises interest rates for the second time in less than a month, while Turkey's government refuses to do so, despite spiralling inflation.

More than 14 million people have fled their homes since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations (UN) says. Almost seven million left for neighbouring countries, while eight million people are displaced inside Ukraine itself.

Amid a growing food crisis sparked by disrupted grain exports from Ukraine and Russia, the EU's ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas told FRANCE 24 that exports by land more than doubled between April and May, from 600,000 tonnes to 1.5 million tonnes.

Senegalese President Macky Sall, who is the current chair of the African Union, granted an interview to FRANCE 24 and RFI in Paris. He discussed his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin last week in Sochi, which focused on the issue of grain supplies stuck in Ukrainian ports. Sall said he stressed to Putin that Africa is suffering from the war in Ukraine, as it already faces a shortage of grain and fertiliser. He warned of a possible "famine" on the continent if African farmers have insufficient fertiliser for their crops.

The court fined the foundation that owns Wikpedia for refusing to remove articles about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, war crimes in Bucha and related topics.

The conflict has cut off supplies from Ukraine's ports, which once exported vast amounts of cooking oil as well as cereals such as maize and wheat. This has reduced the global supply and caused the price of alternatives to soar. Global food prices are almost 30% higher than the same time last year, according to the UN.

Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation, Rania A. Al-Mashat, granted an interview to FRANCE 24 in Ivory Coast's economic capital Abidjan. Although the war in Ukraine is threatening Egypt's food security, the minister believes that "pre-emptive action" undertaken by Cairo in the past few years will help "mitigate" the impact of a possible wheat shortage. Al-Mashat also called for the COP27 climate summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in November to be one turning of "pledges" into "implementation".

Tax revenues could make a vital contribution to the development of African countries. But the untapped informal sector, also known as the shadow economy, and inadequate collection of taxes stand in the way.

A new deal paves the way for the development of the first African-owned Covid-19 vaccines. Cape Town-based Afrigen is working with a Belgian biotech company to develop mRNA shots. Also, Kenya has no reproductive health legislation but the public is going to give its input on a regional bill that could make a big difference to sexual health services. Finally, in football news, Senegal's Sadio Mané moves to Bayern Munich.

A new deal paves the way for the development of the first African-owned Covid-19 vaccines. Cape Town-based Afrigen is working with a Belgian biotech company to develop mRNA shots. Also, Kenya has no reproductive health legislation but the public is going to give its input on a regional bill that could make a big difference to sexual health services. Finally, in football news, Senegal's Sadio Mané is moving from Liverpool to Bayern Munich.

German pharmaceutical company BioNTech has begun construction of an COVID-19 vaccine plant in Rwanda. When completed, it will be the first mRNA vaccine plant in Africa.