As October 1 marked 64 years since Nigeria’s independence, OkayAfrica lists some of the women who made the moment possible. President Tinubu’s speech for the occasion tried to address frustration over unpopular government policies.

The Ghanaian government has responded to protests against illegal mining (known as galamsey) with crackdowns and mass arrests. Oliver Barker Vormawor, convener of the Stop Galamsey protests was arrested along with 11 other activists and denied bail.

• Former Senegalese president Macky Sall is leading the opposition in legislative elections set for November. Sall served two terms as president before stepping down after an unsuccessful attempt to delay elections.
• African leaders renewed calls for permanent representation on the UN Security Council at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
• Kenya’s government has begun the process of impeaching Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

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Image: United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City. Original 17 December 2006, cropped and downsampled version 5 May 2012. Photo credit: Patrick Gruban, edited by Pine, CC BY-SA 2.0.