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Today in Africa — September 22, 2026: Presidents of Africa's 3 Biggest Economies Skip UNGA, Survivors Detail Deadly Nigerian Detention Cell Incident

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On Sept. 22, coverage includes: why Ramaphosa, el-Sisi, and Tinubu are missing a summit tackling issues with direct stakes for the continent; eyewitness accounts reveal how 37 detainees died in a locked, overcrowded Nigerian cell; and more.

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Lihle Z. Mtshali Today in Africa & Newsletters Editor
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (R) addresses the 11th Session of the Bi-National Commission between South Africa and Nigeria, with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (L) at the South African Parliament in Cape Town on December 3, 2024.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, along with Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, have sent representatives to UNGA in New York this week instead of attending in person.

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 on stories like these, be sure to check out our News page, with stories from across the regions.

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Ramaphosa, el-Sisi, Tinubu Skip UNGA as U.S. Visa Issues Disrupt Delegations

None of the presidents of Africa's three largest economies — South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria — are personally attending the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, even as the gathering tackles issues with direct stakes for the continent, from UN reform and climate to peace and security. South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa was advised by doctors to rest, though he was playing golf at a fundraiser yesterday, Monday, September 21; Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi sent Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in his place, and it’s not clear why he’s not there himself; and Nigeria's Bola Tinubu is on a private vacation in France, leaving Vice President Kashim Shettima to deliver the country's national statement. Meanwhile, the U.S. is withholding a visa for Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, reportedly contingent on him accepting a 90-day ceasefire proposal, and Uganda's delegation has been slashed to just five people after Washington denied entry visas to several officials over lingering Ebola-related health measures.

The Bigger Picture

  • South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria's economies are projected at roughly $480 billion, $430 billion, and $377 billion respectively in 2026, per International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates, making their presidents’ absence notable given nearly 130 heads of state are expected in New York.

  • Nigeria recorded 171 terrorist attacks and 750 terrorism-related deaths in 2025, its highest toll since 2020, making the summit a key platform for its counterterrorism diplomacy — one Tinubu won't personally lead.

  • Sudan's UN Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith has asked UN Secretary-General António Guterres to intervene on Burhan's visa, warning the delay could bar a head of state from attending in person; UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed the world body has raised the issue with U.S. authorities.

  • Uganda typically sends 30 to 50 officials to UNGA, but this year only five were cleared, including Vice President Jessica Alupo, after a U.S. CDC order tied to Ebola concerns restricted entry for travelers recently in Uganda, DR Congo, or South Sudan — despite Uganda declaring its outbreak over in July.

  • Sudan's former civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is in New York this week with members of his anti-war coalition, offering an alternative Sudanese voice at the summit.

Survivors: Nigerian Guards Sprayed Unknown Substance Into Overcrowded Cell Before 37 Deaths

Survivors say Nigerian prison guards sprayed an unidentified substance into an overcrowded detention cell in Minna, then kept the doors locked and ignored cries for help as detainees began dying. The 37 victims, mostly artisanal gold miners rounded up in a raid, included many teenagers; survivor Adamu Isah, 22, said around 50 detainees were crammed into a roughly 16-by-16-foot cell before guards sprayed something under the door that smelled like perfume, after which people began collapsing "one after another." President Bola Tinubu has ordered an investigation, and Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo unveiled a 10-member panel, including a retired intelligence official and a human rights lawyer, promising, "No officer, no matter how highly placed... will be shielded if found culpable."

What We Know So Far

  • The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps initially suggested a disease outbreak caused the deaths but later said the cause remains undetermined.

  • Survivor Dauda Shehu, 29, said the spray caused itching throats and breathing struggles before people started dying; another unnamed survivor described the smell as similar to pepper.

  • Pathologists at Minna General Hospital examined three bodies and plan to send samples to Lagos for analysis, though no timeline for results has been given.

  • Many victims were buried quickly under Islamic tradition, while six bodies remain in the mortuary.

  • Anger over the deaths sparked clashes on Friday that killed one person and prompted a 24-hour curfew in Niger State.

DR Congo Plans One-Stop Agency to Streamline Mining Investment

The Democratic Republic of Congo is preparing a one-stop agency for major mining investments as part of reforms tied to its minerals partnership with the U.S., four sources told Reuters, aiming to cut red tape and attract more Western capital into a sector currently dominated by Chinese firms. Led by DR Congo's finance and economy ministries, the agency would centralize company registration, licensing, taxation, and compliance for major mining projects, replacing approval processes that can currently drag on for months. One government official said the agency would initially target joint-venture projects worth more than $1 billion operating under special fiscal regimes, citing the Chinese-controlled Sicomines copper and cobalt venture as an example.

Open to All, Not Just Western Investors

  • The planned agency would welcome Chinese, U.S., and European investors alike, according to two government officials, a diplomat, and a mining analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity.

  • Afrewatch's international director Eric Ndeh says the agency is intended to cut through DR Congo's bureaucratic silos and is expected to be operational this year, though the legislation establishing it still needs to be signed into law.

  • DR Congo has said its push for more Western investment aims to diversify funding sources and export markets, not to replace China.

  • Ndeh notes the irony that a reform driven by the U.S.-DR Congo minerals partnership could end up making it easier for investors from all countries, including China, to do business in Congo.

In Brief: More Stories Today

Nigerians Protest Over Hundreds Still Missing a Month After Mass Kidnapping

Residents of Nigeria's Borgu district protested yesterday, Monday, September 21, demanding the release of roughly 600 to 700 people they say remain in captivity a month after gunmen attacked several communities in one of the country's largest mass kidnappings. Despite President Bola Tinubu's August 25 order for a rescue operation, Niger State's information commissioner said security agencies have been mobilized but have yet to yield results, as shuttered markets and restricted healthcare access add to residents' frustration. Nigerian kidnappers collected close to $5.8 million in ransom payments between July 2025 and June 2026, according to Nigeria’s security consultancy SBM Intelligence

South African Journalist Micah Reddy Deported From Djibouti, Now Free

South African investigative journalist Micah Reddy, who went missing in Djibouti last week, has been deported and is heading back to Johannesburg unharmed, the Committee to Protect Journalists Africa said today, Tuesday, September 22. Djibouti's interior ministry claims Reddy lacked proper media accreditation, but his family insists he wasn't reporting on the country when detained; his fixer, Kooki Mahmoud, has also been released without charge.

UK Charges Doctor With Overseeing 6 Killings in 1994 Rwandan Genocide

British prosecutors have charged Dr. Vincent Brown, formerly known as Vincent Bajinya, with overseeing six killings during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, making him the first person charged in the UK for genocide-related crimes. Prosecutors say Brown, now 65 and living in London since arriving as an asylum-seeker in 1998, directed the shootings of five people and the stoning death of a taxi driver in Kigali; he denies the charges and is due back in court October 9.

South Sudan's Kiir Signs Election Law Changes Opposition Rejects

South Sudan President Salva Kiir signed amendments yesterday, Monday, September 21, removing requirements linking December's planned elections to a completed constitution and census, changes the main opposition coalition says were made without proper consultation. The revised law also shrinks the National Legislative Assembly from 650 to 270 members, as South Sudan prepares for its first-ever elections since independence in 2011, though voter registration has yet to begin.

UK Tightens Teacher Visa Rules, Cutting Off Direct Path for Nigerian and Ghanaian Educators

The UK has removed Nigeria, Ghana, and India from its list of countries eligible for direct Qualified Teacher Status applications, citing verification problems after more than 70% of Ghanaian and Nigerian applicants used personal email addresses like Gmail instead of official school domains for employment references. Nigerian and Ghanaian teachers can still work in England for up to four years without QTS, or pursue alternative paths like assessment-only QTS or international QTS to qualify.

news united nations general assembly latest home democratic republic of congo mining cyril ramaphosa bola tinubu african news today in africa nigeria detention deaths

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