Newscast - Africa

The federal government has insisted that it wasn’t in breach of any part of the treaty setting up the West African Gas Pipeline Authority by the selection of a Nigerian to head the organisation.
The francophone countries insist that Nigeria cannot have both the headquarters and the director-general simultaneously.
Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, maintained that the Accra resolution of November 2021, to move ahead with the appointment of a Nigerian as the head of the body remains very critical.
He called for the understanding of member nations, urging them to stick to the rules set up the body.

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that all members of the Federal Executive Council running for elective offices submit their letters of resignation on or before Monday the 16th of May, 2022.
The Minister of information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting.
Those affected are the ministers of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Science, Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya; State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; Petroleum, Timipre Sylva who have all joined the presidential race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

The head of the World Health Organization says China’s zero-COVID strategy to defeat the pandemic is not sustainable in a public criticism by the UN agency on a government’s handling of the coronavirus.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the zero-COVID strategy is not sustainable while considering the behaviour of the virus.
He says they have discussed the issue with Chinese experts and indicated that the approach will not be sustainable.

Elon Musk says he would lift Twitter’s ban on former US President Donald Trump if Musk’s deal to buy the global messaging platform is successful.
He would reverse the permanent ban while noting that he doesn’t own Twitter yet.
He says that the ban was a mistake because it alienated a large part of the country, and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice.
Musk says he and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey are of similar mind in that permanent bands should be rare, reserved for accounts that are spam, scams or run by software bots.

The International Monetary Fund says Mauritius's economy is expected to grow 6.1% this year from a 4% expansion last year.
The Fund says the war in Ukraine has weighed on growth projections due to lower growth in trading partners, less optimistic prospects for global tourist flows, and worsening terms of trade.

The International Finance Corporation has acquired a 6.71pc stake in Equity Group becoming the second-largest shareholder after Arise BV of Norway and Netherlands.
Equity Group Managing Director James Mwangi says IFC's addition will further advance economic development by empowering and catalyzing the transformation of the lives and livelihoods of the African people.
He says the credit facility of USD 165 million includes USD 50 million from IFC, USD 50 million from British International Investment, USD 65 million from Symbiotic, Responsibility and FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, and a long-time shareholder in Equity through Arise Investments.

Zimbabwe’s central bank governor John Mangudya says the freeze on bank lending is a temporary measure which is meant to contain inflation and stabilise its economy,
President Emmerson Mnangagwa ordered the suspension with immediate effect, saying the move was meant to stop speculation against the Zimbabwean dollar, which has been rapidly devalued on a thriving black market.
Zimbabwe’s inflation has started to rise again, with year-on-year inflation at 96% in April, up from 61% at the beginning of the year, mainly due to a rapidly weakening local currency.

The Tanzanian government has approved a concession grant amounting to 100bn/- to question the skyrocketing price of fuel and offer relief to the nationals currently battling increasing inflation.
Energy Minister Mr Januari Makamba revealed the short-term plan in the National Assembly on Tuesday attributing it to fresh instruction by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Minister Makamba added that the grant will not affect ongoing government projects in the country while saying that the move is a short-term measure to reduce the price of oil before the new financial year.
Mr Makamba says the government is in the process of securing a loan from both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to curb the rise in oil prices during the next fiscal year.

Malawi's parliament has started public enquiries in the capital, Lilongwe, on a proposal to abolish the death penalty following last month’s adoption of a report recommending the move.
Malawi courts appeared to have abolished the death sentence in April last year after a Supreme Court judge heard the petition of a convicted murderer, and ruled that the death penalty negates the right to life which is otherwise provided for under Malawi's constitution.
There have been growing calls both locally and internationally for Malawi to abolish the death penalty, especially because the country is a signatory to the declaration of Universal Human Rights in which the punishment is not allowed.

Aid agencies say several asylum seekers in Britain have gone into hiding because of fears they will be sent to Rwanda.
The Red Cross and the Refugee Council say the threat of removal has prompted some of those seeking asylum to self-harm; one has attempted suicide.
The charities have criticised the British government's plans as a breach of the duty of care.
The Home Office in London says it takes every step to prevent self-harm or suicide.