Nigeria floods: Death toll hits more than 200, officials say
The death toll after deadly floods hit the Nigerian town of Mokwa on Thursday has risen to more than 200, officials say.There are still 500 people missing in the town in north-central Niger State, as a search mission continues.The deputy chairman of Mokwa Local Government, Musa Kimboku, told the BBC that rescue efforts have ceased because authorities no longer believe anyone could still be alive.The floods, said to be worst in the area for 60 years, swept through the towns of Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa after a bout of torrential rain.
In an effort to prevent disease in the area, authorities will soon start to dig out corpses buried underground, Mokwa's district head Muhammadu Aliyu said.Recounting scenes of catastrophe, local residents have told the BBC that they saw their homes and family members get washed away. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) announced it had started the process of providing relief packages to people affected.The agency added in a post on Facebook that roads and bridges were also affected by the flood, which has had a knock-on effect on the local economy and traffic.The Nigerian Red Cross also released a statement on Friday saying the floods had caused "significant loss of life and widespread distress".Floods are not uncommon during the Nigerian rainy season, which lasts from April until October. In 2024, Nigeria experienced flooding from heavy rain which caused deaths and drove people from their homes.There was also severe flooding in 2022, when more than 600 people died and 1.3 million were displaced.
More BBC News stories about Nigeria:
Could Nigeria's careful ethnic balancing act be under threat?Blank questions, power cuts and a suicide: Nigeria's exams fiasco'How I survived Nigeria attack that killed my 16 friends'
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
High-rise, high expectations: is Casablanca's finance hub a model for African development?
For centuries, Casablanca was a significant trading hub for merchants from across the breadth of the Atlantic coast, given its geographical position between Africa, the Middle East and Europe. These days, Morocco's economic capital is merging those historical roots with a strong modern commercial identity. One such manifestation is the Casablanca Finance City (CFC) district, whose high-rise buildings stand as a symbol of the city's dream of being a main gateway for international investment into Africa. Since the district launched in December 2010, its attractive tax regime has brought in entities from across the globe. There was a slowdown in sign-ups to the hub during the Covid-19 pandemic but it now hosts 240 companies, including Huawei and Schneider Electric, accounting for more than 7,000 jobs. 'We welcome companies from multiple sectors … [and] we also support them in their development into the continent,' said Lamia Merzouki, its chief operating officer. Over the past decade, Moroccan investment across Africa has sharply risen: from $100m in 2014 to $2.8bn in 2024. As of March 2025, it was ranked fourth in the Middle East and Africa region and 57th out of 119 overall on the Global Financial Centres Index. Brigitte Labou, the head of customs practice for Francophone Africa at KPMG Avocats, based in Paris, says hubs such as the CFC are 'important levers for accelerating the industrialisation of Africa. 'The financial hub that the CFC represents, as well as the related tax advantages, are assets that can attract the relocation of production chains to Morocco and Africa,' she added. Representing a key entry point for business into Africa, the CFC is seen by the Moroccan government as a valuable component of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a trade agreement with the promise of a unified African market of 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of $3.4tn. It was approved by the African Union in 2012 and launched seven years later, but implementation has been slow. But in a time of global tariff wars, African economists are hoping agreements such as AfCFTA can help. In May, as hundreds of African business executives in various shades of suits converged in Abidjan in Ivory Coast for the Africa CEO Forum, intracontinental trade during tariff disruption topped the agenda. The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking during an all-presidential panel in Abidjan, proposed more collaboration on the continent as a solution. 'We would like the private sector to follow in tandem with the public sector, and to embrace the AfCFTA and also be active participants … [AfCFTA] is going to be the pathfinder', he told more than 2,800 delegates. Merzouki agrees. 'In this context of trade wars, the African free trade area is really a must,' she said after the session. 'We need to accelerate the momentum. Regional integration is a must for us, and this is something that we have been nourishing since the beginning.' There is criticism that the CFC's focus on attracting foreign capital has done little to address deep-seated inequalities within Morocco. Recent trade data for 2024 also shows that the EU – rather than Africa – is still a destination for at least two-thirds of Moroccan exports. In response to this discrepancy, Merzouki said the data 'should not overshadow the dynamic cooperation between Morocco and the rest of Africa'. There is also regular criticism of Morocco's constitutional monarchy system, but supporters say this has projected an image of calm that seems to have benefited Casablanca, compared with other African hubs. 'Even if there are lots of different trade wars and economic upheavals and so on, Morocco remains a stable platform,' said Merzouki. 'There is political stability, macroeconomic stability. We have a lot of international players that give us this feedback. They want to come to Casablanca because it remains stable.' Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion It is now marketing this profile of a haven within chaos to draw in more entities amid one of the biggest global trade disruptions in decades. Since Donald Trump resumed his second term as US president, he has upended trade deals and hiked tariffs, including for all of Africa. The CFC is also cooperating with two dozen African investment promotion agencies, including those of Nigeria and Ivory Coast, seeking new opportunities to increase infrastructural development. It also hosts the Africa50 fund, a vehicle launched in 2015 by the African Development Bank, with initial capital of $700m from 20 member states, to spur infrastructure development across the continent. The district is also pivoting to accommodate its interest in artificial intelligence – having launched an Africa Innovation Lab to support fintechs – and sustainable financing. Currently, Africa generates only 2% of its potential in carbon credits, which are permits countries or companies can exchange to fund initiatives that reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Merzouki, a former chair of the UN Development Programme's Financial Centres for Sustainability Network, thinks the continent can become an energy powerhouse with the right conditions: technology transfer, capacity building, financing. Last September, the CFC signed an agreement with another Moroccan agency to launch a voluntary carbon market for private entities as part of a push to start a carbon-efficient ecosystem. Still, there are limits to African financial hubs such as the CFC: doing business is notoriously difficult in many African countries and red tape and archaic policies continue to stymie the flow of cash and workers across borders. Bright Simons, the vice-president of the Imani Centre for Policy and Education in Accra, Ghana, says the hubs are merely short-term solutions that cloud the big picture. 'The unique selling point for the hubs is to try and concentrate resources in a manner that tries to circumvent some of those [logistical and infrastructural] barriers,' he said. 'African governments, rather than go the long route of trying to actually fix these problems, are trying to look for shortcuts, and perhaps hubs have become the cleverest but most visible way.'
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Nigeria maternal mortality: The world's worst country to give birth
At the age of 24, Nafisa Salahu was in danger of becoming just another statistic in Nigeria, where a woman dies giving birth every seven minutes, on into labour during a doctors' strike meant that, despite being in hospital, there was no expert help on hand once a complication baby's head was stuck and she was just told to lie still during labour, which lasted three a Caesarean was recommended and a doctor was located who was prepared to carry it out."I thanked God because I was almost dying. I had no strength left, I had nothing left," Ms Salahu tells the BBC from Kano state in the north of the survived, but tragically her baby years on, she has gone back to hospital to give birth several times and takes a fatalistic attitude. "I knew [each time] I was between life and death but I was no longer afraid," she Salahu's experience is not is the world's most dangerous nation in which to give to the most recent UN estimates for the country, compiled from 2023 figures, one in 100 women die in labour or in the following puts it at the top of a league table no country wants to 2023, Nigeria accounted for well over a quarter - 29% - of all maternal deaths worldwide. That is an estimated total of 75,000 women dying in childbirth in a year, which works out at one death every seven This article contains an image depicting childbirth The frustration for many is that a large number of the deaths – from things like bleeding after childbirth (known as postpartum haemorrhage) – are Nweze was 36 when she bled to death at a hospital in the south-eastern town of Onitsha five years ago."The doctors needed blood," her brother Henry Edeh remembers. "The blood they had wasn't enough and they were running around. Losing my sister and my friend is nothing I would wish on an enemy. The pain is unbearable."Among the other common causes of maternal deaths are obstructed labour, high blood pressure and unsafe "very high" maternal mortality rate is the result of a combination of a number of factors, according to Martin Dohlsten from the Nigeria office of the UN's children's organisation, Unicef. Among them, he says, are poor health infrastructure, a shortage of medics, costly treatments that many cannot afford, cultural practices that can lead to some distrusting medical professionals and insecurity."No woman deserves to die while birthing a child," says Mabel Onwuemena, national co-ordinator of the Women of Purpose Development explains that some women, especially in rural areas, believe "that visiting hospitals is a total waste of time" and choose "traditional remedies instead of seeking medical help, which can delay life-saving care".For some, reaching a hospital or clinic is near-impossible because of a lack of transport, but Ms Onwuemena believes that even if they managed to, their problems would not be over."Many healthcare facilities lack the basic equipment, supplies and trained personnel, making it difficult to provide a quality service."Nigeria's federal government currently spends only 5% of its budget on health – well short of the 15% target that the country committed to in a 2001 African Union treaty. In 2021, there were 121,000 midwives for a population of 218 million and less than half of all births were overseen by a skilled health worker. It is estimated that the country needs 700,000 more nurses and midwives to meet the World Health Organization's recommended is also a severe lack of shortage of staff and facilities puts some off seeking professional help."I honestly don't trust hospitals much, there are too many stories of negligence, especially in public hospitals," Jamila Ishaq says."For example, when I was having my fourth child, there were complications during labour. The local birth attendant advised us to go to the hospital, but when we got there, no healthcare worker was available to help me. I had to go back home, and that's where I eventually gave birth," she 28-year-old from Kano state is now expecting her fifth adds that she would consider going to a private clinic but the cost is Obiejesi, who is expecting her third child, is able to pay for private health care at a hospital and "wouldn't consider giving birth anywhere else".She says that among her friends and family, maternal deaths are now rare, whereas she used to hear about them quite frequently. She lives in a wealthy suburb of Abuja, where hospitals are easier to reach, roads are better, and emergency services work. More women in the city are also educated and know the importance of going to the hospital."I always attend antenatal care… It allows me to speak with doctors regularly, do important tests and scans, and keep track of both my health and the baby's," Ms Obiejesi tells the BBC. "For instance, during my second pregnancy, they expected I might bleed heavily, so they prepared extra blood in case a transfusion was needed. Thankfully, I didn't need it, and everything went well."However, a family friend of hers was not so her second labour, "the birth attendant couldn't deliver the baby and tried to force it out. The baby died. By the time she was rushed to the hospital, it was too late. She still had to undergo surgery to deliver the baby's body. It was heart-breaking." Dr Nana Sandah-Abubakar, director of community health services at the country's National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), acknowledges that the situation is dire, but says a new plan is being put in place to address some of the November, the Nigerian government launched the pilot phase of the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (Mamii). Eventually this will target 172 local government areas across 33 states, which account for more than half of all childbirth-related deaths in the country."We identify each pregnant woman, know where she lives, and support her through pregnancy, childbirth and beyond," Dr Sandah-Abubakar far, 400,000 pregnant women in six states have been found in a house-to-house survey, "with details of whether they are attending ante-natal [classes] or not"."The plan is to start to link them to services to ensure that they get the care [they need] and that they deliver safely."Mamii will aim to work with local transport networks to try and get more women to clinics and also encourage people to sign up to low-cost public health is too early to say whether this has had any impact, but the authorities hope that the country can eventually follow the trend of the rest of the maternal deaths have dropped by 40% since 2000, thanks to expanded access to healthcare. The numbers have also improved in Nigeria over the same period - but only by 13%.Despite Mamii, and other programmes, being welcome initiatives, some experts believe more must be done – including greater investment."Their success depends on sustained funding, effective implementation and continuous monitoring to ensure that the intended outcomes are achieved," says Unicef's Mr the meantime, the loss of each mother in Nigeria - 200 every day - will continue to be a tragedy for the families Mr Edeh, the grief over the loss of his sister is still raw."She stepped up to become our anchor and backbone because we lost our parents when we were growing up," he says."In my lone time, when she crosses my mind. I cry bitterly." More BBC stories from Nigeria: 'I scarred my six children by using skin-lightening creams'Why British boarding schools are so eager to open in NigeriaThe Nigerian queer parties that offer liberation'I've been sleeping under a bridge in Lagos for 30 years' Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
Inside the labs on the frontline in the battle against one of the world's deadliest diseases – as it reaches Europe
A SWARM of blood-sucking mosquitoes encircle me, buzzing around my face. I'm perched on a bed in a tin-roofed shed and the only barrier to the outside world is a mozzie net filled with holes. 7 7 I'm at the Ifakara Health Institute, in rural Tanzania, Africa, nestled among towering palms. Here, British and African scientists work in converted shipping containers on the front line in the battle against deadly malaria. Deaths from the infection have been rising. There were 620,000 victims in 2022, up from 560,000 a decade ago — most of them African children under five, according to the World Health Organisation. After years of progress, with global deaths down from 1.8million in 2004, warmer temperatures, war and Covid-19 pandemic restrictions have fuelled a resurgence of the disease. The WHO says 249 million cases were reported globally in 2022, up from 233 million in 2019. Europe was declared malaria-free by the WHO in 2015, but now its threat is edging closer again. 'Smile hides heartbreak' Malaria-carrying mosquitoes have reached southern Europe, and medical cases of affected holidaymakers coming into Britain are at their highest level in more than 20 years, with 2,106 cases in 2023. Symptoms are flu-like, but severe cases can be fatal. People who haven't been regularly exposed to malaria, like those in Europe, don't have the same immunity as those in Africa Dr Dickson Wilson Lwetoijera, principal research scientist at the institute, tells Sun Health their work could have far-reaching consequences for the whole world. He says: 'With global travel and population movement, there's every chance the disease could spread to new regions — if that happens in Europe, the consequences could be serious. 'People who haven't been regularly exposed to malaria, like those in Europe, don't have the same immunity as those in Africa who have lived with the disease for some time, so the risk of severe illness or death is much higher.' In Tanzania, it's as prevalent as the common cold, but that doesn't erase the devastation this disease has brought to families. In a dusty neighbourhood in Dar es Salaam, a few hours from Ifakara, I meet Jamima Charles Abel. She welcomes me into her home — a tiny space along a narrow, muddy street shared by several families. Her smile hides the heartbreak her family has endured. Her son Eric Daniel Richard, 24, 'loved people', Jamima tells me. He was a hard worker at a local business, supporting his family despite having moved out. One day last December, he developed flu-like symptoms. Within 24 hours, he was gone. Jamima, 44, is terrified for her other two children. Just last month, her 17-year-old son caught malaria but has since recovered. The infection is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female mosquitoes. 7 7 Male mosquitoes don't bite and are therefore harmless. When an infected mosquito bites a person, the parasite enters the bloodstream and infiltrates red blood cells. Genetically engineered mosquitoes The Plasmodium parasite is adept at evading the immune system. It means a vaccine, which seems like the simplest option, is far from straightforward. So scientists are working on other cutting-edge solutions. A team from Imperial College London, in partnership with a team at Ifakara, has genetically engineered mosquitoes resistant to the malaria parasite. It's hoped these mozzies will be released into the wild within eight years, dominating and repopulating areas within a few months. 'This is the first malaria-fighting technology that doesn't rely on human behaviour,' Dr Lwetoijera explains. 'With our current tools, like bed nets and insecticides, the biggest challenge is compliance. 'People have to use them consistently for them to work, which isn't always possible.' Funding is one of the biggest challenges scientists face. And a huge blow came earlier this year when Donald Trump made abrupt cuts to foreign aid, and Keir Starmer announced plans to slash the overseas aid budget to its lowest level in a generation. Dr Sarah Moore, who has worked at Ifakara for 20 years, says: 'Every day, the equivalent of four jumbo jets full of children die of malaria in Africa. 'If aid continues to fall as predicted, it could rise to five. Because it's Africa, no one cares.' Among other developments, drones are being used to find and dismantle mosquito breeding grounds in Dar es Salaam, such as stagnant water pools, leafy foliage and shaded areas. At dusk, when mosquitoes begin to stir, experts knock on the doors of locals to set up traps. Mwanabibi Kharifa Mohamed, a grandmother and mother of four, is one local taking part. As Alex Limwagu, a research scientist, sets mosquito traps in the garden, Mwanabibi tells me her children have caught the disease more times than she can count — the family can't afford nets — but it never quells her panic. 'I rush straight to the hospital because I know in two minutes they could die,' she says. Since the mosquito team arrived this year, Mwanabibi has learned more about protecting her family. 'I used to be ignorant,' she says. 'But Alex taught me how mosquitoes breed and how to protect my children. If malaria disappeared, life would be peaceful.' The WHO wants to reduce global malaria by 90 per cent by 2030. It believes the ambitious target is 'achievable' — but not without the dedicated scientists on the ground and the funds to keep them going. Victoria Fowler, head of UK advocacy at the charity Malaria No More UK, says: 'Taking our foot off the gas could lead to a surge, including in new places not ready to fight back. We need the Government to back the Global Fund to Fight Malaria at the Spending Review this month. 'Standing behind our scientists is crucial to get back on track to beat this killer, saving hundreds of thousands of children's lives and protecting the British public.' 7
