Africa 54 - October 1, 2021 | Somalia's 1st oxygen plant, Sexual Abuse in Congo, & Covid in Nigeria 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: Somalia's first public oxygen plant was launched on Thursday in a country where the life-saving medical gas has been largely unavailable during the coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organization's response to an independent probe, which found that some of its staff were among 83 aid workers involved in sexual abuse and exploitation in Congo, has been praised. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres was "shocked" by the information that Ethiopia has declared seven senior U.N. officials working in the country persona non grata, U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told a press briefing on Thursday; "We are now engaging with the government of Ethiopia in the expectation that the concerned U.N. will be allowed to continue their important work,". As the coronavirus has spread in Nigeria, Africa's most populated country, so have myths about the virus, especially among children. A Nigerian author has written a children's book to help them understand the pandemic and ways to avoid being infected. It has been 18 months into the COVID 19 pandemic, and experts say the oil and gas industry, which has been hard hit, faces a slow recovery. The African Development Bank in its African economic outlook 2021 says Angola’s oil-driven economy is expected to expand in 2021, with a GDP projected growth of 3.1percent. For more perspective, Africa 54's Linord Moudou spoke with Antonio Henriques da Silva, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Special Economic Zone of Luanda-Benguo, and President of AIPEX, the Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Exports of Angola. The sound of African beats and the smell of spices filled the streets of northeast Washington, D.C., last weekend, with the Afro beats block party and Jollof cook off returning to the Nation's Capital after being canceled last year due to covid-19. The event celebrated traditional African food, music, and culture. After an 11-year hiatus, world music star Lokua Kanza recently released a new album and since September, has taken up a new role for the Democratic Republic of Congo. Heather Maxwell reached out to him in Paris to find out more. Burkina Faso's six-year conflict with terrorist groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaida is spreading to the country's southern region, say analysts. Reporter Henry Wilkins went on a patrol with a group of vigilantes as they prepare to defend against the Islamist militants near the southern town of Bobo Dioulasso In Ivory Coast, there’s a new tool in the fight against counterfeit pharmaceuticals. A start-up company now helps pharmacies digitally trace the sale of drugs to their customers. Female circumcision, known as female genital mutilation (FGM), is illegal in Kenya but is still being forced on young girls in some areas. Cases increased after schools closed due to the pandemic, but one survivor is fighting the practice in an ethnic Somali community. Brenda Mulinya reports from Garissa, Kenya