Newscast - Africa

The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has given strong assurance to US investors that Africa is a secure, competitive, and profitable market.
Dr. Adesina wants American investors to see Africa as a logical investment destination and to engage with the continent in win-win partnerships.
The AfDB boss says that despite the disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on economies, the number of private equity deals in Africa increased from 230 in 2019 to 255 by 2020.
He stressed that even in turbulent times, opportunities still abound in Africa.

The House of Representatives has stepped down a motion to call on the Federal Government to halt the proposed ban on motorcycles.
A member from Jigawa State, Abubakar Yalleman, had moved the motion during the plenary at the green chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.
He prayed the House to urge the Federal Government to restrict the ban to local governments where banditry and terrorism were rife.
The Deputy Speaker of the House, Idris Wase, however, prevailed upon Yalleman to step down.
He says he appreciated the motion but appealed to the lawmakers to cooperate with the executive arm of government in the fight against insecurity.

The Nigeria Labour Congress warns the Federal Government should brace for a three-day nationwide strike across all sectors if the crisis in the nation’s public universities is left unresolved.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba says the protest first is to show their concern and to also call for urgent action to resolve the issues.
The Federal Government however says the decision of the NLC to embark on a nationwide protest was illegal, the leadership of the union insisted that its action was within the ambit of the law.

President Muhammadu Buhari reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling the nation’s security challenges, saying he will leave no stone unturned in crushing bandits and terrorists wreaking havoc in several parts of the country.
The President says the service chiefs have been kept on their toes to ensure that banditry and terrorism are decisively addressed.
He also sympathized with former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Adamu Muazu, over the killing of his brother and abduction of his sister by bandits.

A group of United States legislators has urged the Biden administration to publicly reject Israel’s labeling of six Palestinian human rights organizations as terrorist groups.
In a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Monday, 21 members of Congress decried the absence of available evidence backing the Israeli allegations against the Palestinian organisations.
The letter reads that the US must always and consistently speak out against efforts by all countries attempting to undermine civil society and the necessary work of humanitarian organizations.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has announced it will investigate the actions of state police officers during the Uvalde primary school massacre, as law enforcement’s slow response continues to prompt widespread outrage and demands for accountability.
The agency says that the probe will determine if any violations of policy, law, or doctrine occurred during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24 that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
It says an internal committee would be charged with leading the investigation, which will also determine where the department can make necessary improvements for future mass casualty responses.

The White House says Russia is laying the groundwork for the annexation of Ukrainian territory.
The chief spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby says Moscow is preparing to install proxy officials, establish the rouble as the default currency, and force residents to apply for citizenship.
Kirby says similar tactics were used in 2014 when Russia announced its annexation of Crimea after seizing the territory from Ukraine and holding a referendum the international community saw as illegal.

China and the European Union will hold high-level talks on the economy and trade amid tensions over the war in Ukraine, the treatment of ethnic minority Muslims in Xinjiang, and an unratified investment deal.
Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice president of the EU Commission, and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will co-chair the virtual meeting involving economic officials from each side on Tuesday afternoon, Beijing time.
The dialogue comes after months of failed efforts to set a date for talks after the tense EU-China summit in April, during which the sides failed to agree on a joint statement amid divisions over the war in Ukraine and human rights concerns.

The United States added Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, and Macau to a human trafficking blacklist that already counts Malaysia, alleging weak efforts to stop forced sex work or assist migrant laborers.
The United States also added authoritarian-ruled Belarus to the blacklist and, in a rare criticism of a Western ally, put Bulgaria on a watchlist over concerns it is not taking trafficking seriously.

The EU has announced a 25m euro grant to help Niger's armed forces fight terrorism and defend its territorial integrity.
The EU says these funds will help Niger to better protect the civilian population against the growing terrorist threat adding that the money will finance the construction of a training centre for the army's logistics support.
A military operating base will also be built to reduce the vulnerability of the Nigerien army in the Tillaberi region which borders Burkina Faso and Mali, two countries that have had increasing militant activities.