Across the African continent, these are the 5 stories you shouldn’t miss.

Africa Covid chief John Nkengasong says vaccine saved his life

The head of the agency leading Africa’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has said he owes his life to the vaccine after he caught the virus.

Dr John Nkengasong said he was fully vaccinated but was infected last week and had severe symptoms. – BBC reports.

After unrest, Ramaphosa makes major S Africa cabinet reshuffle

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has carried out a significant cabinet reshuffle covering not only security posts but also the economy and health following days of unrest last month that left more than 350 dead. – Aljazeera reports.

UN to Support Gender Mainstreaming in Government Ministries

On Friday the 30th of July, the UN in Sierra Leone signed an MOU with the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs to support mainstreaming gender in Government Ministries.

The multi-stakeholder partnership for Gender Mainstreaming in Government Ministries (GiM) aims to advance the rights of women and girls and to accelerate gender equality in Sierra Leone. It was jointly developed by UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF, and coordinated by UN Women. The collaboration targets more in-depth actions and greater inclusiveness to tackle root causes of gender inequality, shifting focus from independent initiatives to bringing about more coordinated political and normative changes. Investments in gender equality shall be better coordinated to ensure greater efficiency. – Africanews reports.

Africa records 6,400 COVID-19 deaths in one week – WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday that weekly deaths from COVID-19 in Africa reached a record peak in the week that ended on August 1. – PremiumTimes reports.

African countries urged to accelerate E-Band planning to build Africa’s digital future

In order to accelerate 5G in Africa, regulatory frameworks governing critical wireless backhaul spectrum E-band (70-80 GHz) needs to be put on the agenda swiftly. This is the call made by ICT experts at the 6th Annual Sub Sahara Spectrum Management Conference took place using a virtual format from the 20^th to 22^nd July 2021. – Vanguard reports.