Africa 54 - September 24, 2021| UNGA 76th Session, Planting Program in Nigerian Refugee Camp, & More You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Host Esther Githui-Ewart and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis. Top Stories: Nigerian refugees have halted accelerating desertification at a camp in northern Cameroon through an ambitious planting program - a part of Africa's Great green Wall initiative. Live Coverage of the 76th Annual United Nations General Assembly As health systems globally continue to face the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the health crisis has highlighted the need for governments, partners, and stakeholders to strengthen and invest in health. Investing in the African health sector has been on the agenda this week during the UN General Assembly. ABCHealth, in collaboration with UNECA and NIH, gathered participants this week to collaborate on a path for universal health for Africans. After 16 years, Germany is preparing to bid farewell to Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is stepping down after elections scheduled for Sunday. As Henry Ridgwell reports from Berlin, Merkel was Germany’s first female chancellor and its first leader to have been raised in the former East Germany. The Biden administration is pushing back against accusations of “deeply flawed” policies, leveled by its special envoy to Haiti, who resigned Wednesday over what he called an “inhumane, counterproductive” response to the recent Haitian migrant surge along the U.S. southern border. For Serge Makolo, roller skating is a way to forget his troubles such as the volcanic eruption that destroyed his home. And he's hopes it might one day earn him a medal on this highest global stage. The Kennedy Center in Washington began its 50th anniversary season in mid-September with musicians back on stage and spectators in their seats. But there are some COVID-19 measures are in place for the new season. In entertainment this week we take a look inside the cover of a new book published by Indiana University Press on Malian photography. 20 years in the making, the book and its companion on-line archive open up generations of photographers’ works to international access, while also preserving and protecting the collections from damage, art theft, and illicit trafficking of cultural property.