AFRICA

Since several agencies of government have made registration for the National Identification Number (NIN) mandatory, the issue has become a source of concern to Nigerians including those in the diaspora. Last week, the Nigerian Communication Commission ordered telecommunications companies to suspend mobile phone SIM cards that are not linked to NIN. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chairman of the Nigerians In Diaspora …

Nigeria’s federal government has imposed new nationwide restrictions amid rising cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in various parts of the country. Mr Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, announced this on Monday at the briefing of the task force in Abuja, the nation’s capital. He explained that the directives were advisories issued to state …

COVID-19 cases in the African region have risen steadily over the past two months, underscoring the need for reinforced public health measures to avert a surge in infections, particularly as people gather or travel for end-of-year celebrations. Since mid-October, an average of 46,000 cases per week have been recorded in the 47 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) African …

Following a directive to suspend the registration of new SIM cards nationwide, Nigerians with existing SIM cards have been directed to update their SIM registration details with their National Identification Number (NIN), sparking angry reactions. Our correspondent Abeeb Alawiye reports from Abuja —- Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said in a statement on Tuesday that the country’s Minister of Communications and …

Despite allegations of malpractices by the opposition, our contributing editor, Kester Kenn Klomegah, explains why Ghana’s latest elections are a good sign for the country   Ghana has admirably shown its democratic credentials by holding another peaceful elections, both presidential and parliamentary, early December. In a tightly contested presidential election, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, an experienced politician and highly successful …

An association of German companies and institutions active in Africa has hailed the re-election of Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo. In a press statement issued on Monday (14 December), Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft e.V. said Akufo-Addo’s victory at the country’s recent elections signals political continuity and creates security for companies doing business in the country. “The re-election of incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo …

  President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been declared winner of the 2020 Presidential elections by the country’s electoral commission. Nana Akufo-Addo of the governing NPP polled 6,730,413, representing 51.595% while his main opponent John Mahama of the NDC garnered 6, 214, 889 representing 47.366% in the country’s 8th election since the beginning of its 4th Republic in 1992. The …

President of the African Development Bank Group, Akinwumi Adesina, has said up to 30 million jobs would be lost in Africa by the end of 2020. According to the former Nigerian agriculture minister, while speaking at the ‘Virtual 2020 International Forum on African Leadership’ in Ivory Coast, the lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year dealt a terrible …

Ghanaians are expected to turn out in their millions to elect a new president, or retain the incumbent, and vote for the country’s parliament on Monday, 7 December.  President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), who is seeking another four year term in office, will face former president John Dramani Mahama, candidate of the main opposition …

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has been unveiled as the recipient of its 2020 African of the Year Award.  The former Nigerian finance minister was ceremoniously awarded during a special broadcast on CNBC Africa on Monday night. This year marks the 3rd annual instalment of the African of the Year Award, an honorary category of the …

Austrian professional footballer David Olatokunbo Alaba has been appointed by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari as a Clean Nigeria Campaign Ambassador. Alaba, who plays for German club Bayern Munich and the Austria national team, was appointed to support the country’s efforts towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 6, aimed at providing clean water and sanitation …

Johannesburg, South Africa. 30 November 2020 — On the backdrop of increased fighting across Mozambique’s North between government forces and ISIL-linked terrorist groups, coupled with continued insurgency throughout Lake Chad and West Africa’s Sahel, a recent multinational study indicates that Africa’s youth sees terrorism as one of the biggest threats facing the future of the continent. Over seven in ten …

Roch Kabore the incumbent President of Burkina Faso, has  won the election with 57.87 per cent of votes, according to the election body Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday. Having won more than 50 per cent of the total ballots cast, Kabore has secured enough votes to avoid a second round. In a message posted on his social media platforms …

The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, NIDO, on Monday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to include its representatives on the board of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, in accordance with the act establishing the commission. The Chairman of NIDO Europe, Dr Bashir Olalekan Obasekola, made the call during a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria from his base …

After several months of flight suspension caused by the coronavirus pandemic, German Lufthansa, Air France and the Royal KLM will be offering flights to Lagos and Abuja again starting on 7 December.  Since the beginning of the global health crisis, no airline has operated direct flights between Nigeria and the European Union, as the Nigerian government had imposed a reciprocal …

The Nigeria government has threatened to sanction CNN over its recent report on the shooting of #EndSARS protesters by soldiers in Lagos on 20 October. The country’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, described the report as “irresponsible journalism”  at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday. The press briefing, which according to him, was convened to address lingering …

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has expressed optimism that the Nigerians in Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS), which began on Friday, would be a platform for diaspora investors, partners, collaborators to interact with government agencies, in a direct round table, for mutual benefit. NiDCOM’s CEO/Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said this at the opening ceremony of the third edition of NDIS, holding …

The Director-General of Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, has been appointed as the new chair of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF). A statement titled ‘Press release on appointment of DG NAPTIP as new chair of UNVTF’ by Olivia …

African leaders have been paying tribute to the former president of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, who died in the early hours of Thursday after a brief illness. Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, expressed his heartfelt condolences saying “the entire African continent will sorely miss the sterling qualities of the great leader”. He also said he believes that “the passion, discipline …

Former President Jerry John Rawlings is dead, according to Ghanaian media reports. Rawlings, who ruled Ghana for the longest period of its postcolonial history, passed on Thursday (12 November) after a brief illness. He had been hospitalised in Accra for about a week for an undisclosed ailment before his death. He was 73. Rawlings, who was born in Accra on …