Africa Business News

The US has imposed sanctions on senior officials in the International Criminal Court (ICC), including chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the court of illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction".
The Hague-based ICC is currently investigating whether US forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.
The US has criticised the court since its foundation and is one of a dozen states which have not signed up.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in June allowing the US to block the assets of ICC employees. He has repeatedly attacked the body and questioned its independence.

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This episode is sponsored by
· Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WA

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The UN mission in South Sudan will set up a peacekeeping base in Lobonok, where six bodyguards of Vice-President James Wani Igga were killed last month.
The mission cited other attacks on civilians and humanitarian convoys in the region as the reason for setting up the new base.
The head of the mission, David Shearer, said the new base will enable them to provide a protective presence in the area".
According to the UN mission, there have been several attacks on aid workers in the last few days in the area.
The group wasn't part of the peace deal between the government and armed opposition groups signed in 2018 that ended years of violence.

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This episode is sponsored by
· Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WA

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

The UN mission in South Sudan will set up a peacekeeping base in Lobonok, where six bodyguards of Vice-President James Wani Igga were killed last month.
The mission cited other attacks on civilians and humanitarian convoys in the region as the reason for setting up the new base.
The head of the mission, David Shearer, said the new base will enable them to provide a protective presence in the area".
According to the UN mission, there have been several attacks on aid workers in the last few days in the area.
The group wasn't part of the peace deal between the government and armed opposition groups signed in 2018 that ended years of violence.

---

This episode is sponsored by
· Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WA

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote endorsed former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to lead the World Trade Organization(WTO).
He revealed this through his twitter account saying that with her great knowledge in the field, she will lead Nigeria to victory.
The chairman of Dangote group of companies says there’s no one better suited for the task than his compatriot.
He added that a vote for her by all is a step in the right direction.

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This episode is sponsored by
· Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WA

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

The federal government has inaugurated a 27-man National Humanitarian Co-ordination Technical Working Group (NHCTWG) to provide technical support to the National Humanitarian Coordination Committee (NHCC) constituted by President Muhammadu Buhari to oversee all humanitarian actions in the country.
The working group was inaugurated by the Minister of Humanitarian Affair, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and is expected to enhance coordination and seamless delivery of humanitarian aid to affected communities in the country.
Farouq charged the members to ensure the implementation of all NHCC recommendations relating to the operationalisation of the CiSEC framework and guidelines and to propose a national vision for humanitarian action.

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This episode is sponsored by
· Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WA

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The Minority Group in the House of Representatives has rejected the reported increase in the pump price of fuel from N148 to N151.56.
Minority Leader of the House, Ndidu Elumelu, made the position of the lawmakers known in a statement on Wednesday.
He described the announced price as unacceptable, saying it would result in an increase in the already high cost of consumer goods and services, as well as worsen the current economic hardship being suffered by Nigerians.
He stressed that it was important for the government to revamp the nation’s refineries, instead of resorting to fuel price increase at the detriment of Nigerians.
Elumelu, therefore, directed the PPMC to immediately rescind the purported announcement and revert to the former price, with a view to further reviewing it downward.

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This episode is sponsored by
· Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WA

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has confirmed 216 new cases of coronavirus in the country. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections recorded in the country so far to 54,463.
In a late-night tweet on Wednesday, the nation’s health agency disclosed that the new infections were recorded in 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Plateau had the highest number with Fifty- nine cases followed by Rivers, Abia, and Lagos which have 27, 22, and 20 more infections respectively
A total of 42,439 persons have recovered from the virus while the death toll now stands at 1,027.

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This episode is sponsored by
· Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WA

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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved $3.1 billion for the end to end automation of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed disclosed this at the end of the FEC virtual meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to her, the concessionary period is 20 years and the funding is solely from investors with the revenue expected from this automation pegged at $176bn.
The Finance Minister gave a breakdown of the project funding, and stated that the investors will be paid overtime according to a schedule that will be negotiated with the Federal Government.

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This episode is sponsored by
· Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WA

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

The Shanghai Composite Index gave up its early gains and fell 14 points or 0.4% to 3,398 on Wednesday at around 01:30 PM Shanghai time, dragged by basic material stocks and energy. The financial sector was also under pressure, as the first-half profit fall in some of the Chinese biggest lenders weighed. Sentiment was hurt by reports that the US extended China tariff exclusions for some goods, including medical masks and smartwatches, 

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This episode is sponsored by
· Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WA

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

South Korea's consumer prices increased 0.7 percent year-on-year in August of 2020 following a 0.3 percent rise in the previous month, while markets expected a 0.4 percent gain. It was the highest inflation rate since March. The jump was mainly explained by a 15.8 percent increase in the fresh foods subindex, up from an 8.4 percent climb in the previous month. On a monthly basis, inflation jumped 0.6 percent after remaining unchanged in the previous month, rising the most in seven months.

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This episode is sponsored by
· Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WA

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support