Africa Business News

The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi says Nigeria is in a critical situation following the insurgency in the northeast, banditry in the northwest and attacks in other parts of the country.He says the country is in a critical situation that requires the understanding, buy-in, support and collaboration of important stakeholders and key players in this strategic option and national task.He says this is important to minimize distractions and maximize civil support in order to facilitate operational success and mission outcomes.The Minister also called for support from the civilian populace and other major stakeholders to facilitate operational success and mission outcomes.

Members of the ad-hoc committee, chaired by Olaide Akinremi, summoned the Central Bank’s Governor and the Army Chief after they failed to honour an earlier invitation extended to them.The motion for their summon was moved by a lawmaker, Bede Eke, because the army chief, for a second time, did not appear before the committee despite having rejected his representative on the first day of the hearing which held in March 12.The lawmakers are among the committee that is reviewing the purchase, use, and control of arms, ammunition, and related hardware by the military, paramilitary, and other law enforcement agencies in the country.The army chief and CBN governor, however, failed to appear before the committee, an action which was condemned by the lawmakers.

The Federal Government has highlighted some of the measures it is taking to ensure Nigeria does not slip into a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.Dr Osagie Ehanire says the country will continue to sustain its testing rate to identify, isolate, and treat positive cases.As a member of the PTF, he noted that the government would continue to work towards better outcomes of cases.He explained that this would be achieved by critically reviewing all the areas that would lead to the better management of infections while focusing on the evolving nature of the virus and the disease.He added that the country has seen a reduction in the number of confirmed daily cases despite sustaining its testing rate.

Australia’s parliament debated on Monday a motion to condemn systematic breaches of human rights by China, saying other legislatures had described as genocide its actions towards Uighurs in the far western region of Xinjiang.Parliaments in Canada and the Netherlands drew rebukes from Beijing after they passed non-binding motions in February that said the treatment of China’s Uighur Muslim minority constituted genocide.The Chinese embassy in a statement says they flatly reject the ridiculous and absurd rhetoric on Xinjiang by a handful of MPs in today’s House session.It added that the allegations, based on disinformation and lies and out of political motive, were deliberately made to smear China.

Niger’s presidency says China donated 400,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinopharm to Niger on Sunday, the first vaccines the West African nation has received.China has donated vaccines to several other African countries as it aims to cultivate goodwill through so-called vaccine diplomacy.Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou received the vaccines at a ceremony in the capital Niamey that was also attended by the Chinese ambassador.He says from March 27, 2021 they are going to start to vaccinate the Nigerien population with this vaccine.

The head of the World Health Organization, Ethiopian Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has sent his congratulations to Tanzania's newly inaugurated president, saying he hopes they can work together to tackle coronavirus.He says he looks forward to working with with them to keep people safe from Covid-19, end the pandemic and achieve a healthier Tanzania. Samia Suluhu Hassan has just been sworn-in as the East African nation's new leader - two days after the death of President John Magufuli.Tanzania has not published details of its coronavirus cases since May, and the government has refused to purchase vaccines despite a plea from the WHO that Tanzanians be inoculated.

Mauritania has resumed diplomatic relations with Qatar after a four-year freeze.Foreign ministers from both countries held talks in Doha, Qatar on the resumption of ties.The Mauritanian state news agency quoted a statement from the foreign affairs ministry as saying the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Qatar decided to resume diplomatic ties after intensive contacts over the past week and with much-appreciated support from the Sultanate of Oman.The Qatar News Agency says they reviewed bilateral cooperation relations and the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two brotherly countries.

South Africa health minister says the country has sold a million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for distribution in 14 fellow African nations.South Africa last month suspended its vaccination programme, which had started with AstraZeneca jabs after doubts were raised over that vaccine’s efficacy against a local variant of Covid-19.Pretoria instead announced its intention to sell its AstraZeneca doses to the African Union.Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says that the first batch of vaccines that is being delivered will benefit 9 (AU) member states. The balance will be collected this week to be delivered to 5 other countries.

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to completing the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, saying it would be functional within 18 months. The Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics says Port Harcourt Refinery will work, and certainly within the next 18 months.He added that the Nigerian government also plans to rehabilitate other refineries in the country, stressing that the move is not a waste of funds as believed in some quarters.He says there are plans to also fix the Warri Refinery and Kaduna Refinery and then we would get all those staffs to work.The Nigerian government had on March 17 approved $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, an amount which many had described as too much for the project.

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS says it is working to ensure that all patients of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus are given a priority in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination in the country.The Director-General of the NACA, Dr Gambo Aliyu noted that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines were safe and would go a long way in boosting the immune system of HIV patients.He says the Astra-Zeneca vaccine is safe for everyone, including those with HIV-AIDs, and we are collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, to ensure that victims of HIV are prioritised in the vaccination across the country.He explained that the beneficiaries are trained HIV/AIDS people in Jigawa state that were grilled on six income-generating trades to become self-reliant.