AfricaConnect

#AfricaConnect is a platform where Africa gets a voice to accentuate its own narrative.

[Yemane G. Meskel 🇪🇷 @hawelti]

The Potemkin Party’s propaganda machinery is increasingly edgy and seems to spin out of control to miss the whole plot these days.

The telltale signs of this desperate mindset and quagmire are better accentuated by:
- the marathon interviews of its leader in the past ten days with Amhara Media Corporation (AMECO) and Oromo Broadcasting Network (OBN) principally on domestic issues but with frequent provocative digressions on Eritrea;
- the flurry of articles/Tv programmes on Eritrea by the Potemkin Party’s official/affiliated media outlets – Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC), FDRE Institute of Foreign Affairs, Horn Review, etc.

PP’s new narrative on domestic issues peddled in the Interviews is naturally an internal matter that has no pertinence to Eritrea. As such, we shall not delve into their substance though we may allude, in passing, to the overwhelming consensus/verdict by most Ethiopian analysts on its dangerously myopic tactical approaches – and double-speak. That the Interviews are maliciously aimed at stigmatizing as well as inciting cleavages and polarization between certain, and especially the Amhara and Tigrayan, ethnic nationalities and intended as desperate appeals for sectarian support from the Oromo ethnic constituency.

In reference to Eritrea, the PP’s manufactured narratives venture into “creative” fantasies and fictious constructs that are grossly at variance with historical facts and events.

In a nutshell, the new “PP linen”, touted for the market, consists of:
1. Preposterous claims of Oromo “expedition” into Eritrea in the distant past to include full occupation of Midri Bahri (Medieval and independent Kingdom in the Highlands and eastern lowlands of present-day Eritrea). For “incontrovertible proof”, the pretentious PP leader invokes a phony conjecture of semantics to speculate “same origins” between Barentu (Eritrea’s capital city of the Gash Barka Region) and Borona in present-day Oromia Region; as well as Soira (the highest mountain in Eritrea), Debra and other numerous names (not explicitly listed in the Interview) in Eritrea with similar sounding places in Oromia etc.

2. These fantasies could have been routinely dismissed as hollow and risible if they were not fraught with tragic consequences.

3. Indeed, what the newly minted narrative signifies is that the malaise/quest for “sovereign port ownership” by invading Eritrean sovereign territory that the PP leader enunciated in October 2023; his previous and outrageous claims that “he could not find legal documents on Eritrean independence in Ethiopian official archives (Cabinet, Parliament etc.)”; subsequent claims on Eritrea’s Dahlak Islands and the southern coastline for reasons of “strategic depth” to “project Ethiopia’s maritime power” etc. have degenerated further towards terminal metastasis.

4. In effect, the Potemkin Party’s revisionist history and toxic agenda have now morphed into full-scale denial of Eritrea’s inalienable status as a sovereign nation. This recent chorus of aggression and war is of course antithetical to the 2018 Eritrea-Ethiopia Friendship Agreement which was anchored on Ethiopia’s full adherence to international law (and EEBC Award) and for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize!

5. Duplicitous and ironic as it is, the Potemkin Party’s agenda of aggression and war are increasingly couched in self-defense terms these days. To this end, Eritrea is constantly portrayed, by the PP’s media outlets, as “innately insecure whose survival depends on perpetual destabilization of Ethiopia”. Eritrea’s independence struggle is denigrated as an “external conspiratorial agenda that was concocted to weaken Ethiopia”.

6. All these transparent ruses are willfully peddled to prepare “historical and legal rationale” for a destructive war. The truth is Eritrea has never had the interest or political design and will to destabilize Ethiopia. The costly and long war of liberation was imposed on Eritrea due to Ethiopia’s expansionist ambitions and annexation in flagrant breach of international law. The border war from 1998-2000 essentially erupted due to the willful desire of the incumbent regime to change the sacrosanct colonial borders in violation of international law, the UN Charter and the AU’s Constitutive Act. The climate of tension and conflict that looms in the Horn of Africa region today is, again, largely a product of the Potemkin Party’s misguided policies of irredentism and hegemony. The illicit MOU that the Potemkin Party signed with Somaliland in 2024; its hosting of military base in southwestern Ethiopia to provide support to the RSF under the bidding of the UAE; and its constant threats and saber-rattling against Eritrea complete the picture of the reckless policies of destabilization to which the Potemkin Party seems wedded to for reasons known to itself.

7. Finally, Eritrea had indeed cultivated networks of support with various Ethiopian liberation movements, including the Oromo Liberation Front, during the armed struggle in 1980s. These were based on common denominators and platforms of opposition to oppression by the incumbent regimes in Ethiopia and recognition of Eritrea’s legitimate rights of decolonization. Even in those times, Eritrea’s principled position on Ethiopia’s unity and territorial integrity were crystal clear and explicitly pronounced; including in its 1984 seminal paper on EPLF ties with Ethiopian Opposition Movements.

[Yemane G. Meskel 🇪🇷 @hawelti]

Pre. Isaias Afwerki opened #FestivalEritrea2026 this morning at Asmara's Expo Compounds in presence of Ministers & senior PFDJ officials, & members of the Diplomatic Corps. Regions' Pavilions; Innovation Hubs; cultural/heritage assets; Photo Exhibition by MoD... etc. on display.

[AfricaConnect @PanAfricanTalks]

The unique and fabulous Eritrea UK Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary with thousands of attendees! Unlike previous years, the Eritrean Festival UK 2026 offered even more exciting events and activities, all conducted with great enthusiasm.

[GhanaInUK @GhanainUK]

The High Commissioner, H.E. Mrs. Sabah Zita Benson, held a meeting with the organisers of ‘Ghana Party in the Park’, scheduled to take place on 4th August in London, and set to feature a surprise headline artist.

[GhanaInUK @GhanainUK]

Musician EL paid a courtesy call to inform and invite the Mission to his concert scheduled for Saturday, 2nd May in London.

The High Commissioner, H.E. Mrs. Sabah Zita Benson, encouraged him and his colleagues in the industry to continue promoting Ghana and flying the

[Africa Facts Zone @AfricaFactsZone]

China built the new $56.6 million ECOWAS Headquarters for West African countries for free.

[Africa Facts Zone @AfricaFactsZone]

Egypt receives a Chinese delegation of major companies seeking to invest $5 billion to establish a tire manufacturing plant, wholesale trade city, factory for household products manufacturing and container terminal.

[Africa Facts Zone @AfricaFactsZone]

Nigerian banks are quietly taking over Africa.

Zenith Bank just launched operations in Côte d’Ivoire, marking its entry into Francophone West Africa.

[Africa Facts Zone @AfricaFactsZone]

Morocco is set to construct a high-speed rail line linking Kenitra and Marrakech as part of a $10.4 billion national rail modernization plan.

[imane ouaadil @ImaneOuaadil]

Minister Karim Zidane received today in Rabat the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry of Ghana 🇬🇭 Hon Ms. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare accompanied by a high-level delegation, reaffirming the strong & longstanding ties between the two countries.

[Sudan Tribune @SudanTribune_EN]

Sudan and Belarus have kicked off the 5th Joint Ministerial Committee in Minsk.
High-level talks are underway to update and adopt strategic agreements in: Agriculture & Machinery, Oil & Industry, Science & Tech, Health & Education.
https://t.co/cXMxhrmI5f
#Sudan #Belarus #Minsk #Diplomacy #EconomicCooperation

[Rwanda in Canada @RwandainCanada]

H.E. Prosper Higiro welcomed FERWAFA President Mr. Fabrice Shema Ngoga to the High Commission in Ottawa for a courtesy visit.

Their exchange highlighted football’s role in inspiring youth, deepening national pride, and connecting Rwanda with its diaspora in Canada, carrying the Amavubi spirit from Kigali to Ottawa. 🇷🇼⚽🇨🇦

#RwandainCanada #FERWAFA #Amavubi

[African Development Bank Group @AfDB_Group]

#AfDBAM2026 will feature high-level knowledge events tackling Africa's most pressing development issues, including:

🟢Mobilising capital for inclusive & resilient growth
🟢Strengthening Africa's financial systems & sovereignty
🟢Harnessing Africa's demographic dividend

Learn more: https://t.co/77lmOzcArO #Road2AfDBAM2026

[Sophie Mokoena @Sophie_Mokoena]

Breaking News. Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola has raised South Africa’s exclusion from the coming G20 summit in America with his Japanese counterpart in Pretoria this morning. Japan is a member of the G20. #sabcnews

[Africa First @AfricaFirsts]

Egypt 🇪🇬 is Africa’s:

▪️Highest producer of Wheat
▪️Highest producer of Dry Onions
▪️Highest producer of Tomatoes
▪️Highest producer of Potatoes
▪️Highest producer of Cucumbers
▪️Highest producer of Garlic
▪️Highest producer of Oranges
▪️Highest producer of Sugar Beet
▪️2nd highest producer of Cabbages
▪️2nd highest producer of Grapes
▪️2nd highest producer of lemon
▪️2nd highest producer of Mangoes
▪️4th largest producer of Maize
▪️5th largest producer of Carrots
and Many more!

The above is based on annual average production (2017 - 2024)

▪️The Arable Land in Egypt is approximately 3.5 Million Hectares, the 13th smallest in the continent

▪️ Nearly 96% of Egypt is desert

[Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) @AFRwanda]

The 3i Africa Summit 2026 kicks off on 6 May in Accra, #Ghana, under the theme “The Next Frontier: Shaping Africa’s Integrated FinTech Future.”

Our CEO, @jbiyacu, will speak on a panel titled “From Vision to Reality: Choosing the Right Technology.”

The summit is a premier continental platform that brings together policymakers, regulators, investors, financial sector leaders, and innovators to shape the future of finance in #Africa.

#3iAfrica2026 #ConnectedAfrica

[Sudan Tribune @SudanTribune_EN]

Sudan’s government and military have formally accused the UAE and Ethiopia of orchestrating a series of drone strikes on Khartoum’s international airport and military bases.

Critical updates:

*- Officials claim to have "conclusive evidence" including flight data from drones launched via Ethiopia's Bahir Dar airport.
*- Sudan has recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations.
*- The military asserts its right to respond at a time and place of its choosing.

https://t.co/uKZ6oo4DL2

#Sudan #Khartoum #Ethiopia #UAE #SudanNews

[Tanzania High Commission I United Kingdom @UbaloziUK]

The Tanzania High Commission will work with CRDB Bank to establish a dedicated Diaspora Investment Fund, giving Tanzanians in the UK a clear and reliable platform to invest back home.

The initiative was announced in Milton Keynes by Ambassador Mbelwa Kairuki during a networking event organised by Tanzanians in the diaspora. The ambition is to mobilise TZS 100 billion by 2030.

Ambassador Kairuki also commended TUD UK, a diaspora-led investment vehicle, for investing close to TZS 2 billion in real estate, capital markets, and government securities within just two years.

He noted that TUD UK is a strong example of what can happen when diaspora capital is organised, purposeful, and directed towards productive investment.

The Ambassador encouraged more Tanzanians in the diaspora to follow this example and explore the many opportunities emerging back home — from government securities, shares, collective investment schemes, and logistics, to real estate.

The ambassaor called on Diaspora to tap the opportunity to invest in real estate around new university campuses in Bukoba and Lindi (UDSM), Kigoma (MUHAS) , Katavi (SUA) and Njombe (UDOM).  He said that the new campuses are creating strong demand for student hostels, faculty housing, and accommodation for visiting guests.  Hence the Diaspora should take advantage of the new demand and assured market.

[AfricaConnect @PanAfricanTalks]

Mr. Yared Tesfay, a member of the Africa Union Social Committee, alongside Dineo Mathlako, the Deputy High Commissioner of South Africa, has been promoting Africa's visibility and fostering stronger connections.