The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • Kigali, ADHI group win global public-private collaboration award at WEF summit

    Kigali, ADHI group win global public-private collaboration award at WEF summit

    In a historic milestone for Africa, the City of Kigali and ADHI Group have received the Global Public-Private Collaboration Award from the World Economic Forum (WEF) at the Urban Transformation Summit in San Francisco.

    The recognition celebrates a groundbreaking partnership between the City of Kigali, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), and ADHI Group, which created an industrialized, sustainable, and inclusive housing model that connects innovation, economic growth, and climate resilience.

    With this honor, Kigali joins a select circle of cities recognized by the WEF — including Singapore, Helsinki, Bristol, and Pittsburgh — positioning Africa as not just a beneficiary of innovation, but a global contributor to it.

    The flagship project, Bwiza Riverside Estate, developed by ADHI Group, exemplifies this achievement. 

    Certified EDGE Advanced by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the project has cut over 500,000 tons of CO₂ emissions through light concrete technology, recycled materials, and sponge-city water systems. 

    These environmental gains are now convertible into carbon credits, linking urban housing directly to climate finance.

    “We have demonstrated that sustainable housing can finance itself,” said Soleman Abdi Idd, Chairman of ADHI Group. “Our model combines technological innovation, local manufacturing, youth training, and carbon monetization — the circular economy applied to city building.”

    The project’s success reflects robust collaboration between public and private sectors. 

    Kigali integrated the project into its urban plan and provided land, while the RDB attracted investors and financial guarantees, aligning the initiative with Rwanda’s Vision 2050 and Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy.

    ADHI’s model also incorporates strong social impact. An on-site TVET campus trains young Rwandans in modular construction, renewable energy, and advanced fabrication, ensuring that every home built contributes to job creation and skills development. 

    “Each house is also a classroom,” noted Sadiya A. Hassan, Vice President of ADHI Group. “Our youth are not watching the green transition — they are building it.”

    Following Kigali’s success, several African countries are now exploring ways to replicate the ADHI model as a path toward climate-smart, self-financing urban development rooted in local manufacturing and inclusive growth.

    For the World Economic Forum, Kigali’s recognition signals a paradigm shift — proving that industrialization and sustainability are not conflicting goals but complementary pillars of Africa’s development. 

    In under a decade, Rwanda has evolved from a policy pioneer into a global benchmark for sustainable urban transformation, offering the world a new model of inclusive, circular, and self-sustaining growth.

  • Cameroon detains opposition figures ahead of election results’ release

    Cameroon detains opposition figures ahead of election results’ release

    Cameroonian authorities have detained about 30 politicians and activists linked to opposition presidential candidate Issa Tchiroma, his campaign said yesterday, heightening tensions ahead of today’s announcement of results of an October 12 election.

    Among those detained are Anicet Ekane, leader of the MANIDEM party, and Djeukam Tchameni, a prominent figure in the Union for Change movement. Both had supported Tchiroma’s candidacy.

    The arrests come amid mounting clashes between security forces and Tchiroma’s supporters in the cocoa- and oil-producing Central African nation. Tchiroma yesterday called for further nationwide protests.

    Paul Atanga Nji, Cameroon’s interior minister, confirmed during a press conference on Saturday that arrests had been made in connection with what he described as an “insurrectional movement,” although he did not disclose the identities or total number of detainees.

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    “Calls for protests by certain politicians with an obsession for power undoubtedly create conditions for a security crisis and contribute to the implementation of the insurrection scheme,” Nji said.

    In a post on his campaign’s Facebook page yesterday, Tchiroma rejected accusations of insurrection and alleged that government officials had sought to negotiate with some of those arrested before their detention.

    “They refused your proposals, and now you arrest them? So, when you were seeking to negotiate with them, they were not terrorists?” Tchiroma wrote.

    Tchiroma, a former minister and once an ally of President Paul Biya, has claimed victory in the election and stated he will not accept any other result.

    Protests have flared in several cities during the past week after partial election results reported by local media showed Biya was on course to be declared the winner.

    Biya, aged 92, in power in Cameroon since 1982 and currently world’s oldest ruling president, could continue for another seven years if the Constitutional Council declares him winner today.

  • Ouattara poised for fourth term amid Ivory Coast tensions

    Ouattara poised for fourth term amid Ivory Coast tensions

    Count votes are underway after Ivory Coast’s  presidential election, where incumbent Alassane Ouattara seeks a fourth term amid opposition absences.

    Reporters and observers noted low voter turnout, especially in urban areas, following opposition calls for election boycotts and the disqualification of major candidates.

    About 44,000 security personnel were deployed to maintain peace during voting, with the election described as largely calm by ECOWAS-African Union observers, though some vandalism occurred.

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    The incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, age 83, is widely expected to secure a fourth term.

    The poll, which saw five candidates vying for the country’s top job, was marked by the absence of two major opposition figures, raising questions about the fairness and competitiveness of the race.

    According to the Independent Electoral Commission, about 8.7 million Ivorians were registered to vote out of a population of roughly 30 to 33 million, as reported by Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and BBC. While the commission announced a preliminary turnout of 50%, actual participation appeared much lower in major urban centres like Abidjan, with observers and residents noting sparse crowds at several polling stations. This lower turnout echoed predictions from analysts who anticipated widespread voter apathy, especially after opposition leaders called for a boycott of the election.

  • Maduro: U.S. fabricating war against me

    Maduro: U.S. fabricating war against me

    • American aircraft carrier approaches Caribbean

    Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro said the U.S. government is forging a war against him as the world’s biggest warship approached the South American country.

    The president is, however, moving to revoke the citizenship of an opponent he accuses of egging on an invasion.

    Maduro said in a national broadcast on Friday night that the administration of President Donald Trump is “fabricating a new eternal war” as the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which can host up to 90 airplanes and attack helicopters, moves closer to Venezuela.

    On Saturday, the Venezuelan president also referred to the pressure he has felt from the U.S. government as he started legal proceedings seeking to revoke the citizenship and cancel the passport of opposition politician Leopoldo López.

    “They promised they would never again get involved in a war and they are fabricating a war that we will avoid,” said Maduro in Friday night’s address. Trump has accused him, without providing evidence, of being the leader of the organised crime gang Tren de Aragua.

    “They are fabricating an extravagant narrative, a vulgar, criminal and totally fake one,” Maduro added. “Venezuela is a country that does not produce cocaine leaves.”

    American forces have destroyed several boats off the Venezuelan coast, allegedly for their role in trafficking drugs into the United States. At least 43 people were killed in those attacks.

    Tren de Aragua, which traces its roots to a Venezuelan prison, is not known for having a big role in global drug trafficking but for its involvement in contract killings, extortion and people smuggling.

    Maduro was widely accused of stealing last year’s election, and countries including the U.S. have called for him to go.

    Earlier, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said on her Telegram account that Maduro had appealed to the country’s Supreme Court of Justice to revoke López’s nationality for his “grotesque, criminal, and illegal call for a military invasion of Venezuela.”

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    López, a well-known Venezuelan opposition figure who has been exiled in Spain since 2020, has publicly expressed his support for the deployment of U.S. ships in the Caribbean and attacks on suspected drug trafficking vessels.

    The vice president said that López’s passport will be revoked “immediately,” and that he is also accused of promoting “economic blockage” and “calling for the mass murder of Venezuelans in complicity with enemy and foreign governments.”

    The opposition leader reacted on his X account, dismissing the move because “according to the Constitution, no Venezuelan born in Venezuela can have their nationality revoked.” He once more expressed support for a U.S. military deployment and military actions in the country.

    “Maduro wants to take away my nationality for saying what all Venezuelans think and want: freedom,” López wrote. “After having stolen the 2024 election, we agree to pursue all avenues to end the dictatorship,” the politician added.

    López spent more than three years in a military prison after participating in anti-government protests in 2014. He was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison on charges of “instigation and conspiracy to commit a crime.”

    He was later granted house arrest and, after being released by a group of military personnel during a political crisis in Venezuela, left the country in 2020.

  • Israeli-Gaza: Nigeria insists on two State solution

    Israeli-Gaza: Nigeria insists on two State solution

    Nigeria has insisted on the implementation of the two state solution to end the Israel-Palestinian crisis.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Umar disclosed this at the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations in Abuja. 

    The Permanent Secretary, who was represented by Ambassador Wahab Akande, Director of Protocol, MFA said: “Nigeria like the rest of the world, stands and says, without doubt, that a two-state solution remains the only path to lasting peace for Israel and Palestine, where both States live in peace and prosperity. 

    “We attest the opportunities that peace brings, just as the extremist hopes to drive apart rival communities and different religions. We thus work through multilateral platforms within the rule of law, to build the consensus and support that makes this immensely difficult and dangerous task that much easier.

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    “ This is how to deny the enemies the space to stoke tension and cause despair. By our experience that this offers the best, perhaps only hope for peace, reconciliation and victory for the civilised values of a shared humanity.”

    Speaking on the reform of the UN, Ambassador Umar said that Nigeria demands for permanent seat at the Security Council is a demand for fairness, for continental equitable representation.”

    Besides, he said the demand for reform is one that projects credibility to the very institution upon which the hope of multilateralism rests. 

    He said: “The United Nations will discover its true relevance only when it sees the world as it is, not as it was. Nigeria’s journey tells this story with clarity: when the UN was founded, we were a colony of 20 million people, absent from the tables where decisions about our fate were taken; today, we are a sovereign nation of well over 200 million, projected to be the third most populous country in the world, with one of the youngest and most dynamic populations on earth by 2025. A stabilising force in regional security and a consistent partner in global peacekeeping, our case for permanent seat at the Security Council is a demand for fairness, for continental equitable representation, and for reform that projects credibility to the very institution upon which the hope of multilateralism rests.”

  • Tinubu congratulates Japan’s first female Prime Minister Takaichi

    Tinubu congratulates Japan’s first female Prime Minister Takaichi

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, describing her historic emergence as a testament to her decades-long contributions to governance and political development in Japan.

    In a congratulatory letter personally signed by the President and released yesterday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu hailed Takaichi’s election following her victory in the parliamentary vote, noting that her rise to the top reflects the confidence reposed in her by the Japanese people and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

    “Your victory as the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party and ultimately as the Prime Minister of Japan constitutes a remarkable expression of the confidence reposed in you by the good people of Japan,” the President wrote.

    President Tinubu described Takaichi’s elevation as a defining moment in Japan’s history and a source of inspiration for women around the world.

    He praised her long record of public service and leadership, stating that her election “is also a testament to the decades of your tremendous contributions to the growth of your political party and governance in Japan.”

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    Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to deepening its longstanding ties with Japan, President Tinubu said both nations share a “deep, productive, and strategic relationship” across several sectors of cooperation.

    “As you assume this mandate, you can please rest assured of Nigeria’s continued goodwill and support for Japan,” the President wrote, adding, “I am confident that we would work together to build on the foundation that has been laid, as well as strengthen and deepen the relationship between our two countries.”

    President Tinubu expressed optimism that under Prime Minister Takaichi’s “capable and visionary leadership,” Nigeria–Japan relations would continue to blossom, while looking forward to meeting her “at the earliest convenience to explore new opportunities of mutual benefit.”

    He concluded the letter with warm wishes for the Japanese leader’s good health and personal well-being.

  • Ministry prays for rekindled spiritual heritage

    Ministry prays for rekindled spiritual heritage

    The Grace for All Men Ministry has held its 2025 72-Hour Intercession with a call on believers to remember and rekindle their identity as God’s living tabernacle.

    It particularly emphasised on rediscovering the depth of the Church’s spiritual heritage.

    Convener of the ministry, Prophet Adebayo Abraham, said the intercession programme was born out of a divine prompting for the Cherubim and Seraphim Church. The Lord, he said, spoke clearly at the closing of last year’s event that 2025 would be marked by the theme ‘Behold the Tabernacle of God’.

    Drawing from Exodus 25:8, Prophet Abraham said: “The tabernacle goes beyond the building, it is the body of every believer, the place where God desires to dwell. When God said, ‘Let them build Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them,’ He was pointing to His intention to live within us.”

    The cleric further connected the theme to John 1:14, where “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” and to Revelation 21:3, which said “the tabernacle of God is with men.” According to him, these scriptures together reveal a divine pattern: God’s ultimate desire is not merely visitation but habitation.

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    Prophet Abraham noted that this year’s gathering symbolised ‘a time when heaven meets earth; when God no longer feels distant but is manifestly present among His people’. “It is the season of transformation, schooled in discipleship, where men and women would become living representations of Christ in every area of life,” he added.

    Guest Minster Prophet Jesse Jangfa, in his remark, said: “This is a season of restoration. We are redeeming the old ways—the ways of sound doctrine, of holiness, of true communion with God. Once again, the Church must become the place where God’s presence dwells without measure.”

    The event featured spontaneous worship, prophetic songs, and fervent cries of intercession. Many attendees testified to renewed spiritual hunger and fresh encounters with the Holy Spirit.

    Prophet Abraham, in his closing remarks, reminded the congregation that the conclusion of the 72-hour intercession does not mark the end but the beginning of a continuous walk with God.

    “We are not leaving this fire behind. The true evidence that we have beheld the tabernacle of God is that His presence now abides in us. Every believer must go back to their place of assignment as a carrier of His glory,” he added.

    The cleric urged participants to maintain the atmosphere of prayer and holiness, noting that “the next move of God will not just happen in church buildings but through believers who have become living tabernacles of His presence.”

    Grace for All Men Ministry is a faith-based movement committed to raising men and women who embody the life and presence of Christ in every area of society. Through intercession, teaching, and discipleship, the ministry seeks to reveal the grace of God to all people and nations.

  • Russia will never bow to U.S. pressure, says Putin

    Russia will never bow to U.S. pressure, says Putin

    President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Russia would never bow to pressure from the United States or any other country, and cautioned that the response to any strikes deep into Russia would be very serious and overwhelming.

    U.S. sanctions are “unfriendly” act and “will have certain consequences, but they will not significantly affect our economic well-being,” Putin said. Russia’s energy sector feels confident, he said.

    “This is, of course, an attempt to put pressure on Russia,” Putin said. “But no self-respecting country and no self-respecting people ever decides anything under pressure.”

    Putin said breaking the balance in the global energy markets could lead to a hike in prices that would be uncomfortable for countries such as the United States, especially given the internal political calendar in the United States.

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    Asked about a Wall Street Journal report that the Trump administration has lifted a key restriction on Ukraine’s use of some long-range missiles provided by Western allies, and remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy about domestic missiles with a range of 3,000 km (1,900 miles), Putin said: “This is an attempt at escalation.”

    “But if such weapons are used to attack Russian territory, the response will be very serious, if not overwhelming. Let them think about it,” Putin said.

  • North Korea’s missile tests ‘is new hypersonic system’

    North Korea’s missile tests ‘is new hypersonic system’

    North Korea said yesterday that its latest missile tests involved a new hypersonic system aimed at strengthening its nuclear war deterrent, as leader Kim Jong Un continues to build up weapons designed to overwhelm South Korea’s defenses.

    The report by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected the North firing multiple missiles from an area south of the capital, Pyongyang, and said they flew about 350 kilometres (217 miles) northeast before falling on land.

    The tests came days before world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, are expected to gather in rival South Korea for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings.

    The U.S. Forces Korea said in a statement that it was “fully aware” of North Korea’s ballistic launches and also its “relentless pursuit of long-range missile capabilities.” It urged the North to refrain from “unlawful and destabilising actions” in violation of U.N. Security Council sanctions, adding that the U.S. commitment to its alliance with Seoul remains “ironclad.”

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    KCNA said the launches involved two hypersonic projectiles that accurately struck a land target in the country’s northern region. It described the system as strategic, implying that the missiles were designed to be armed with nuclear warheads.

    KCNA didn’t specify the name of the missile system it tested. At a military parade earlier this month, Kim unveiled some of his military’s newest weapons, including what appeared to be a short-range ballistic system fitted with hypersonic glide vehicles.

    North Korea in recent years has been testing various missile systems tipped with hypersonic weapons, which are designed to fly at more than five times the speed of sound. The speed and maneuverability of such weapons are meant to help them evade regional missile defense systems, but experts have questioned whether they have consistently flown at the speeds the North claimed during tests.

    Pak Jong Chon, one of Kim’s top military officials who attended Wednesday’s tests, lauded the performance of the “new cutting-edge weapon system” and said the North would continue efforts to bolster its war deterrent and defense capabilities.

    During the Oct. 10 parade, Kim also unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile that state media described as the country’s most powerful nuclear asset, adding to his growing collection of weapons with potential range to reach the U.S. mainland. Experts say the North could be preparing to test the missile in the coming weeks, ahead of a major ruling party conference in early 2026, when Kim is expected to announce key policy directions, potentially including his approach toward the United States.

    Kim has been sharply accelerating the pace of weapons tests since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over the U.S.-led economic sanctions.

    Wednesday’s launches were North Korea’s first ballistic missile tests since liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office in June, pledging to restore peace on the Korean Peninsula. But Kim has so far rejected Lee’s offer for talks and has said he won’t resume diplomacy with the United States unless Washington abandons its goal of denuclearizing the North.

  • Ghana’s former First Lady Nana Agyeman-Rawlings dies at 76

    Ghana’s former First Lady Nana Agyeman-Rawlings dies at 76

    Ghana’s former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has died at the age of 76.

    She was the widow of Ghana’s longest-serving leader, Jerry John Rawlings, who died five years ago.

    He led two coups before twice being elected president in multi-party polls.

    Social media was yesterday awash with tributes to the former first lady, politician and women’s rights advocate, who Ghanaian presidential spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu said had died after a short illness yesterday morning.

    Her family visited President John Mahama in the afternoon to officially notify him of her death. The president leads the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, founded by Jerry Rawlings after he took power.

    Mr. Agyeman-Rawlings also had political ambitions – but lost out in her bid to become the NDC’s presidential candidate in 2012.

    As first lady, she founded the 31st December Women’s Movement to empower women and teach them how to earn money to develop their communities. It was named after the date of her husband’s second coup, which took place in 1981.

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    Born in November 1948, Mrs. Agyeman-Rawlings came from a middle-class family and grew up in the city of Cape Coast.

    She met her future husband when she became a boarder at the prestigious Achimota School in the capital, Accra.

    Unlike her husband, she went on to get a university education, studying art and textiles.

    Jerry Rawlings joined the air force and earned the rank of flight lieutenant in 1978 – a year after the couple were married.

    It was not long afterwards that Rawlings, aged 32, took power, with his wife said to be an important adviser to him.

    Young, glamourous and charismatic, they proved a dynamic if controversial duo in the West African nation.

    The former first lady’s women’s group, initially regarded as an arm of the NDC, is credited with significantly helping women across the country – especially in poorer areas.

    Her advocacy also influenced national policy and she played a key role in shaping a law in 1989 that guaranteed inheritance rights for women and children.

    She is also credited with contributing to provisions for gender equality in Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, which saw the return of multi-party politics.

    Ghana’s parliament has adjourned to mark the former first lady’s death as the country prepares to officially mourn one of its most iconic political figures and one who fought for the inclusion of women in politics.