Newscast - Africa

Uganda says it was considering a US request to take in refugees from Afghanistan, where tens of thousands of people are trying to flee after the Taliban seized power.
The foreign ministry in a statement says President Yoweri Museveni has expressed Uganda’s readiness to provide assistance including temporary hosting of some of the affected persons in the current crisis.
Media reports had suggested that Uganda had agreed to take about 2,000 refugees but this was not confirmed in the ministry statement.
An official from the UN refugee agency told AFP it had not been involved in the discussions between the United States and Uganda but that it stood ready to support any refugees who arrive in the East African country.

President of the African Export-Import Bank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, says that the bank will supply a total of 40 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to Nigeria between now and 2022.
Oramah stated that the bank was investing in trade and health infrastructure, and also involved in the procurement and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to African countries including Nigeria, to enable the continent to achieve herd immunity.
He declared that there is an arrangement under the Afreximbank facility to deliver 40 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria before the end of 2022.
He says the bank was committed to ensuring the continent achieves herd immunity by vaccinating about 60 per cent of Africa’s population against the disease.

The Central Bank of Nigeria moved to strengthen the cyber resilience of Other Financial Institutions under its regulation in order to ensure that they remain safe and sound amidst an increase in the number and sophistication of cybersecurity threats and attacks against them.
The apex bank explained that the purpose of the guidelines which provides a risk-based approach to managing cybersecurity risk was to among other things create a safer and more secure cyber environment that supports information system security and promote stability of the OFI sub-sector.
It noted that the safety and soundness of the sub-sector particularly required that they operate in a safe and secure environment.

President Muhammadu Buhari will unveil an implementation committee for the Petroleum Industry Act.
THISDAY reports that the committee may be chaired by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva.
The committee which has 12 months to carry out its tasks, would be saddled with the responsibility of establishment of Nigeria Upstream Regulatory Commission, Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority as well as the corporatisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to a Limited Liability Company, which will now be called Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The committee would also be tasked with the responsibility of determining the assets and liabilities of the NNPC, which would be transferred to NNPC Limited.

Governor of Imo State Hope Uzodinma says that the signing of the Petroleum Industry Bill 2021 into law will help to regulate environmental hazards such as oil spillage.
He says all the hazards that follow the production of oil, mostly environmental hazards, are a result of the absence of regulatory environments.
He says the laws put in place will not only regulate the environment but will also create room for value addition both in the oil-bearing communities.
The Governor commended President Buhari for signing the bill into law, noting that it had been a struggle over the years.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva says the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation will become a commercial company within six months.
Mr Sylva says a transitional committee is already in place to incorporate NNPC Limited.
Mr Sylva noted that although the new petroleum act has deregulated the oil sector, subsidy policies will remain in place till further notice.
He says an implementation framework for actual deregulation will be established to mitigate the impact on ordinary Nigerians.

United States President Joe Biden’s administration announced that it has approved the largest permanent increase to food stamp benefits.
a boost that the White House and proponents of the move hope will help low-income families afford healthier food choices when stocking their fridges and pantries.
Average benefits for food stamps starting in October officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will increase more than 25 per cent above pre-pandemic levels.
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters that the hike in benefits will do a better job of providing healthy food for low-income families.
Nutrition advocates say that the hike will help Amer American families choose better quality food and improve nutrition and overall health.

The United Nations Security Council is calling for talks to create a new government in Afghanistan and an end to fighting and abuse after UN chief Antonio Guterres warned of chilling Taliban curbs on human rights and mounting violations against women and girls.
The 15-member council issued a statement agreed by consensus after Guterres appealed to the body to use all tools at its disposal to suppress the global terrorist threat in Afghanistan and guarantee respect for human rights.
The Security Council stressed the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan to ensure other countries were not threatened or attacked.

The United States has called for an inclusive new government in Afghanistan that respects human rights, including women’s rights, saying that the Taliban’s behaviour will determine whether Washington will recognise any new administration in Kabul.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price says that the US and its international allies would be watching closely after the Taliban took over the country in a blistering offensive, seizing control of the capital on Sunday.
Price says there is decisive consensus in the international community on the kind of new government that should be formed in Afghanistan, citing a United Nations Security Council statement that called for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process of national reconciliation.

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, says US special forces will soon deploy to the east of the country to help fight Islamist militants.
He says they would stay for several weeks, supporting the Congolese army in its campaign against the Allied Defence Forces.
They will advise gamekeepers in the Virunga and Garamba national parks, which are havens for militia groups.
The US has designated the ADF as a terrorist group affiliated with Islamic State.
United Nations experts have expressed doubts over the alleged links.