Africa 54 - October 4, 2021 | Interview with Sierra Leone President, Sudan's Economy, & 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: The head of the World Bank, David Malpass, has said Sudan's economic situation is "gradually improving" but will require patience. David Doyle has more. Ethiopia's parliament confirmed incumbent Abiy Ahmed as prime minister for a five-year term on Monday, cementing his power domestically amid mounting international concern of his government's handling of the conflict in northern Ethiopia.Abiy's party won a landslide victory in June's election. He was sworn in on Monday, and a ceremony was being held later in the capital Addis Ababa attended by several African heads of states. In Namibia, the government has welcomed the US$1.3 billion 1904-1908 German genocide reparations deal, as a step in the right direction despite cautioning that the amount can never be good enough and insisting an improvement of the terms of reparations, is not out of the question. This, as scores of the Ovaherero and Nama community, the main tribal groups affected by the German genocide took to the streets this week to reject the deal struck by the southern African country’s government and its former colonialist. Confidence Musasiri has more in this report narrated by Jessica Kaimu Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio says the Free Education policy for all children forms an integral part of his human capital development agenda to improve the lives of the country's future generation. The move, the Sierra Leonean president says, has lifted a heavy burden off the s houlders of all parents in the West African country irrespective of their political inclinations or societal status. …In a sit down interview with VOA's Peter Clottey, President Bio also talked about good governance, transparency and the need for accountability. 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. Yassin Ciyow has more in this report narrated by Lionel Gahima. Coal provides more than 75% of South Africa’s energy supply, but public and corporate pressure is mounting for that to change. Protests were seen across the country last week and now a proposed Chinese-backed coal power plant may be scrapped. Linda Givetash has this report from Johannesburg. 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. The U.S. is the global leader in vaccine donations, pledging to send 1.1 billion doses to help the world fight the COVID-19 pandemic. But it has shipped only 15% of the doses it has promised. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. There’s a new weapon against COVID-19 and it’s in capsule form. VOAs Carolyn Presutti explains how it’s a breakthrough and why other pills have been discovered that we haven’t heard about. The sound of African beats and the smell of spices filled the streets of northeast Washington, D.C., recently, 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