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Today in Africa — Nov. 11, 2026: Ghana Is Turning Notorious E-Waste Dump Into a 20,000-Job Industry; Eswatini Shuts Down Asian-Owned Shops

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On Nov. 11, coverage includes: the health toll on workers at Accra’s Agbogbloshie dump, as waste management is a major theme at ongoing COP31 climate talks in Turkey; a divided parliament over how long foreign business owners should be allowed to stay in Eswatini; and more.

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Lihle Z. Mtshali Today in Africa & Newsletters Editor
Waste collectors work on a smoky refuse mound beside an excavator at Agbogbloshie in Accra.
Waste collectors dig through piles of waste at the Agbogbloshie dumpsite in Accra. At Agbogbloshie, thousands of tonnes of refuse have accumulated over decades, overwhelming the fragile wetlands overlooking an informal settlement of around 80,000 residents, many of them migrants and traders.

Every day, OkayAfrica shares a roundup of news we’re following but haven’t published as full articles. These short updates cover what’s happening across the continent — in culture, politics, and beyond. For more stories like these, check out our News page for updates from across the regions.

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Ghana Is Turning Agbogbloshie, One of the World's Most Notorious E-Waste Dumps, Into a 20,000-Job Industry

Ghana is working to turn Agbogbloshie, a sprawling dump on the Korle Lagoon delta in Accra, into a source of up to 20,000 permanent jobs in waste management and the circular economy, Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga says. The site is notorious as one of the world's largest informal electronic waste dumping grounds, where discarded tech has long been burned for copper and other metals. The cleanup comes as waste management is a major theme at the COP31 climate talks, which began on Monday, November 9, in Turkey. Instead of just pushing scrap workers out, the plan brings informal collectors and haulers, including garbage pickers and tricycle haulers, into the formal recycling process. President John Mahama launched a three-month effort in September to remove about one million tonnes of waste. Heavy military and public works equipment has begun hauling garbage to a landfill about 31 miles outside Accra, where it will be compacted and covered under strict environmental safeguards. The dump sits beside an informal settlement of about 80,000 residents, many of them migrants and traders.

The Health and Waste Toll

  • Burning computer cables and batteries releases lead, mercury, and other toxins, and open fires give off soot and dioxins. Scrap dealer Barima Okuanaju earns about $4 to $9 a day taking apart fridges and cars by hand in the fumes. James Hassan, 31, a Liberian immigrant, sifts through waste without gloves or a mask and says he has headaches and coughs but has never sought medical care.

  • Epidemiologist Reginald Quansah of the University of Ghana says workers face lung and neurological conditions. No study yet links specific diseases to the dump, but he says the cumulative contamination is a concern. Fourteen-year-old Aminatu Fatawu, who sells water at the site, coughs and has noticed blood in her saliva.

  • Much of the waste comes from abroad. Greenpeace estimates that 15 million used garments arrive in Ghana each week, and roughly half of what remains after traders sell what they can ends up as "dead waste" dumped or burned. It found that 89% of sampled dead garments contained petrochemical fibers like polyester, which shed microplastics and release carcinogens at levels far above safe limits when burned.

  • Greenpeace's Hellen Kahaso Dena said the global north is using Ghana "as a dumping ground for fashion waste." Scientists warn that contamination seeps into the lagoon and soil and can reach the food chain.

Eswatini Tells Foreign Business Owners to Leave as Officials Shut Down Asian-Owned Shops 

Businesses owned by Asian nationals are being shut down across Eswatini after parliament approved the Citizen Economic Empowerment Act, which aims to increase ownership and participation by emaSwati, as the southern African kingdom’s citizens are known. The law follows complaints from local traders that foreign-owned businesses are crowding into traditional retail markets and threatening their livelihoods. Yesterday, Tuesday, November 10, Member of Parliament Welcome Dlamini said trade ministry officials had already begun enforcing the new law by closing Asian-owned shops. The push echoes South Africa, where tensions over foreign-run informal businesses have led to raids, arrests, and disruption, and Kenya has also stepped up action against foreign traders. Parliament agreed that foreign owners should get at least 12 months to leave. Unless the law is formally amended to say so, the ministry could keep enforcing it as written.

A Divided Parliament and a Region Under Pressure

  • MPs are split over how fast foreign owners should go. Dlamini asked why they couldn’t get three years to train emaSwati successors, while another MP, Tanele Magagula, said rural foreign-owned businesses “must be seized immediately” and asked why struggling local traders should wait.

  • The closures follow trade ministry inspections that began in August. Some businesses in areas like the capital, Mbabane, were fully compliant. Inspectors also raised concerns about working conditions, including employee complaints about days off, annual leave, and overtime; at least one case is still under investigation.

  • Eswatini is a small landlocked kingdom led by King Mswati III, with about 70% of people living below the poverty line. The government says the law will expand economic opportunities amid fears that poverty and hunger could fuel unrest. Pro-democracy protests broke out in 2021.

  • In South Africa, anti-migrant groups set a June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave, and their campaigns have often come with violence and attacks on foreign-owned businesses. Two Ghanaian and two Nigerian nationals were reported killed amid the tensions.

Kenya Discharges Last Ebola Patient, Starting 42-Day Countdown to Being Declared Ebola-Free

Kenya discharged its last Ebola patient today, Wednesday, November 11, officially starting a 42-day countdown toward being declared Ebola-free. The country recorded nine cases in October after the first patient traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda and passed the virus to four family members and four health care workers. The first patient and his mother died, and the other seven patients fully recovered. Health Minister Aden Duale said the waiting period, twice the longest Ebola incubation period, would end on December 23 if no new infections are recorded, and that prevention measures will continue. Elsewhere in the region, infections keep climbing. In DR Congo, the epicenter, 11,042 people have been infected and 5,387 have died, the government said today, and the outbreak has also spread to Uganda and Nigeria through travelers from DR Congo.

Containment, Travel Restrictions, and Border Controls

  • The government identified 135 contacts of the first patient. The Ministry of Health said all confirmed cases were linked to his contact list, which indicated no community transmission.

  • Saudi Arabia announced an indefinite suspension of visas for Kenyans on October 30, affecting hundreds of Kenyan workers heading to the Gulf, particularly domestic and hotel workers. The ministry urged Saudi Arabia to reconsider, explaining that the first case was imported and all later cases were traced to contacts of the initial patient.

  • Kenya designated a specific gate at its main airport for passengers from 10 countries that have reported Ebola cases or border countries with active cases. Passengers are screened with thermal technology, and all new arrivals fill out a health declaration form with their travel and health information.

  • The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain and has been described as one of the worst on record.

In Brief: More Stories Today

U.S. House Panel to Review Nigeria's Efforts to Protect Christians, One Year After Trump's Designation

The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa will hold a hearing tomorrow, Thursday, November 12, titled "One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria's Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt." Subcommittee chairman Chris Smith, a Republican, says it is his 14th hearing on religious persecution in Nigeria. Witnesses include State Department officials Frank Garcia and Riley Barnes and representatives of the Hudson Institute, Open Doors US, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, but no Nigerian government representative is listed. It follows Trump's October 31, 2025 designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, which does not automatically impose sanctions.

Guinea-Bissau Sets Up Commission to Investigate Killing of Rapper Vigario Luis Balanta

Guinea-Bissau's public prosecutor has created a commission to investigate the murder of rapper and activist Vigario Luis Balanta, after pressure from the opposition and media. The commission has 60 days to identify suspects, determine the crimes committed, and present its conclusions. His movement, Po' di Terra, which went underground after his March killing, welcomed the move but demands a rigorous, transparent, and independent investigation. It has accused the military-led government of protecting his killers, and the government has condemned the killing.

DR Congo's Tshisekedi Signs Law Allowing Constitutional Referendum

President Felix Tshisekedi signed a law this week allowing constitutional changes to be put to a referendum, which critics say could pave the way for a third term. The law sets out how a new constitution could be drafted and how existing provisions could be changed, fueling fears that the two-term limit could be scrapped. Tshisekedi denies seeking a third term but has said he would accept one if the people wanted it. No referendum date has been announced.

More Than 66,000 Flee Nigeria for Niger and Benin, UN Says

More than 66,000 people had fled Nigeria for Niger and Benin by mid-October, three times the number in the same period last year, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR). Northern Nigeria faces violence by jihadists and bandit gangs, along with farmer-herder clashes and rising religious intolerance. UNHCR has appealed for $2 million, and 34,000 people have not yet registered, leaving them at higher risk and struggling to get aid.

South Africa Launches Digital Asylum Registration System

South Africa's Home Affairs Department launched the first phase of a digital asylum platform yesterday, Tuesday, November 10, letting people register their intention to apply online with personal details, facial biometrics, and documents. Registering is not a formal application and does not grant refugee status. People without internet access can get help at Refugee Reception Offices. Later phases will add appointment scheduling and more biometric checks, and Minister Leon Schreiber said the system will use machine learning and AI to speed up processing.

Nigerian Court Keeps Journalist Daniel Ojukwu in Custody, Sparking Outrage

A Nigerian court yesterday, Tuesday, November 10, kept investigative journalist Daniel Ojukwu of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism in custody on a 12-count cybercrime charge, pending a bail hearing on December 1. He was arrested over a report on alleged financial mismanagement of more than 147 million naira ($109,000) involving a senior government official. Amnesty International said the detention raises serious concerns about using courts to intimidate journalists. At least 29 journalists have faced prosecution under the cybercrimes law since 2015, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

African Countries Press COP31 to Explain How Tripled Adaptation Finance Will Be Delivered

African countries want the ongoing COP31 climate talks in Türkiye to set out how the world will deliver last year's pledge to triple adaptation finance. The African Group of Negotiators says support for the continent has been "dwindling," and aid budgets have fallen to their lowest level since 2014. Adaptation money for developing economies reached about $30 billion in 2024, against the $305 billion a year the UN says they need through 2035. Kenya's climate envoy said plans cannot be "entirely dependent on voluntary contributions."

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