Newscast - Africa

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the United States will provide Ukraine with a new $500 million infusion of aid to help the government in Kyiv continue paying salaries, and pensions and providing services.
Yellen says it was necessary to help their government continue to function amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
She says the money follows another $500 million package of support for Ukraine’s economy announced last month.
Shmyhal this week said his government needs $5 billion a month just to continue operations after the invasion devastated the nation’s economy.

Italy and Angola have signed an energy cooperation agreement as European countries seek to reduce dependence on Russian gas.
The deal aims to increase the export of Angolan gas and reduce the dependence of the European country on the Russian gas supply privately owned Angola24Horas says.
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi struck an agreement with Algeria to buy more of its gas in a further sign of Italy's attempts to reduce dependence on Russia.

The French military says it has filmed Russian mercenaries burying bodies outside a military base, corpses it says are being used as part of a campaign of lies against departing French troops.
A Twitter account, which the French military says was probably a fake created by the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group, has already posted images of pixelated corpses buried in sand and held the French responsible for their deaths.

East African heads of state have agreed to deploy a joint military force to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to deal with the armed groups operating in that region.
The regional leaders resolved that such a force should be mobilised with immediate effect.
All Congolese armed groups operating in the restive eastern part of the country should unconditionally participate in a political process to resolve their grievances, a statement from the summit says.
DR Congo joined the seven-member East African Community regional bloc last month, in what some analysts see as a move towards seeking joint solutions to its security challenges in the east.

Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, defended the apex bank’s managed-float exchange rate system, stressing that it was adopted to address the peculiar challenges the country faces.
Emefiele reiterated that he was focused on his job and remains committed to supporting the fiscal authorities in ensuring that the country surpasses the 3.4 per cent Gross Domestic Product for 2022, which had been predicted for Nigeria by the International Monetary Fund.
The CBN Governor stressed that different countries have different challenges and must develop solutions that would help address their challenges.

Google’s West Africa Director, Juliet Ehimuan, says Google’s subsea cable, Equiano, has arrived in Lagos, Nigeria adding that the cable will help improve internet speeds in Nigeria.
Ehimuan says the cable, named after Olaudah Equiano, a Nigerian-born writer and abolitionist, will run from Portugal along Africa’s west coast to South Africa.
She says the Nigerian government has been actively working on its digital transformation programs as part of plans to grow its domestic sectors.
She says studies suggest that faster internet connections, better user experiences, and reduced internet costs will help accelerate these benefits.

The Independent National Electoral Commission maintained that the 2023 general election will hold despite the security challenges in the country.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, says that the documents presented were the third in the series of strategic election plans since the era of deliberate planning of elections started in 2012.
He says the 2023 polls will be governed by the new Electoral Act which contains provisions that will enhance the capacity and ability of the commission to better manage the electoral process.
Yakubu called for the support of all Nigerians to successfully conduct the polls while pledging to ensure the safety of electoral personnel and materials, accredited observers, media practitioners, and voters.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that amid growing insecurity in the country, the creation of state police would be a better option than community policing.
Obasanjo says that the development clearly showed that some local chairmen in the country were better than even the top elected leaders.
He says there is a need to strengthen the traditional system and the local government administration however there is a need to enable that tier of government to work truly like a local government.

President Muhammadu Buhari has issued fresh directives to security agencies to rescue all those in captivity across the country and advance the acquisition of intelligence.
The National Security Adviser, Babagana Munguno says the President is not happy with the prevailing security situation.
He says the last straw was the recent attack on the Abuja/ Kaduna train leading to the killing of some passengers and the kidnapping of scores.
He added that Insufficient technology and human intelligence particularly from the wider society has led to the persistent war and unless this is defeated, the war might become insurmountable.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, believes the suspension of the strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, is dependent on the union.
Ngige reiterated that he cannot make a commitment on when the impasse will be resolved and called on the lecturers to do their part.
He says ASUU should stop threatening government officials and agencies.