Newscast - Africa

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Tanzanian counterpart Dr Philip Isdor Mpango are united in their views regarding a just energy transition as the global community moves towards net-zero emissions target and the need for greater international collaboration in deterring unconstitutional changes of government in Africa.
The special media aide Laolu Akande, says the duo discussed a wide range of issues of interest to Nigeria and Tanzania, including infrastructure development, trade and investment, technology, climate change, and democracy.
They emphasized the need for regional bodies on the continent and others in the global community to support actions already taken by ECOWAS leaders.

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has declined to grant the bail application of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari.
Justice Ekwo in a ruling says the application had been overtaken by events following an order of a sister court granting the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s permission to detain Kyari for another 14 days to enable it to conclude its investigation.
The judge, however, says he was inclined to hear Kyari’s fundamental enforcement rights suit with the urgency it deserves after the expiration of the 14-day court order.
He subsequently adjourned until March 15 to hear his application on his fundamental right enforcement.

The Federal Government has announced that Air Peace and Max Air may begin the evacuation of Nigerians from Ukraine on Wednesday.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, says the evacuation will be done following the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier said hundreds of Nigerians have been received in Poland, Hungary and Romania by Nigerian embassies in those countries.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has committed 100 billion euros in military spending as he promised a revamp of the country’s armed forces following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Scholz says they need to invest significantly more in the security of the country, in order to protect their freedom and democracy.
He says they will invest more than two per cent of gross domestic product in their defence year after year.
Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane says the speech marked a clear change of policy that effectively tore up the playbook of successive German governments since the end of the Cold War.

The European Union has announced new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, closing its airspace to Russian aircraft and banning Russian state media outlets broadcasting in the bloc.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen says the Union was also taking the unprecedented step of financing arms to Ukraine and was hitting Russian ally Belarus with sanctions for facilitating the invasion.
Canada says that it had shut its airspace to Russian aircraft effective immediately.
A spokesperson for Canada’s transport minister says there are no direct flights between Russia and Canada, but several Russian flights a day pass through Canadian airspace.

Voters in Belarus have approved constitutional reforms that will allow the country to host nuclear weapons at a time when the former Soviet republic has become a launchpad for Russian troops invading Ukraine.
Russian news agencies cited the Belarusian elections commission as saying that some 65.2 per cent of people who took part in a referendum voted in favour of the change.
The agencies say voter turnout stood at 78.63 per cent.
President Alexander Lukashenko says that he could ask Russia to return nuclear weapons to Belarus.

French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet told Le Parisien newspaper that Russia should be expelled from the 2022 World Cup after invading Ukraine.
Ukrainians and Russians said they were ready for talks to halt a conflict that has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
Le Graet says the world of sport, and especially football, cannot remain neutral and would certainly not oppose the expulsion of Russia, Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic have all refused to play Russia in the World Cup play-offs.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says that his country will remain neutral over Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Bolsonaro says he told Putin that Brazil will maintain a position of neutrality in the war and that it remains in favour of peace.
He added that Brazilians want peace, but cannot bring the war’s consequences while recalling that Brazil is a major purchaser of Russian fertilizers.

Algeria's state firm says it is ready to supply additional gas to the EU from its surplus.
Sonatrach CEO Toufik Hakkar says the unmet capacity at the Transmed pipeline linking Algeria to Italy could be used to increase supply.
The US had reached out to Algeria and other countries for gas supply alternatives in case the Russian invasion leads to low supplies to Europe.

Ukraine’s honorary consul in Guinea has been suspended for gross negligence for urging the junta to make clear its position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Guinea’s Foreign Minister Morissanda Kouyaté says the decision to suspend him was taken at a later crisis meeting about the conflict, where the situation for around 800 Guineans living in Ukraine was also discussed.
He says Col Mamady Doumbouya, Guinea’s interim president, wanted all necessary measures to be taken to support them.