Category: Inside Africa

Agency Reporter

No fewer than 21 African countries are expected to raise $65.5 million from public and private sources to support Shea Parkland Restoration Fund (PRF), an official said.

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President, Ghana Shea Producers’ Association, stated this at the virtual launch of the Parkland Restoration Fund.

He spoke at the opening ceremony of the 2021 International Shea Conference and Global Shea Alliance’s 10th Anniversary celebration held in Ghana.

Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu-Kalgo, National Publicity Secretary, National Shea Producers’ Association of Nigeria, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday.

Bawumia said the decision was part of ongoing efforts to ensure that shea industry would continue to play its significant role in the lives of people across 21 African countries.

He said that the PRF was launched in Ghana with the aim of promoting Shea Parkland across the African continent, adding that the programme would be spread across the region from Senegal to South Sudan.

“The PRF is expected to raise $65.5 million from public and private sources to implement the Action for Shea Parklands – an initiative to grow 10 million shea trees and protect four million hectares of shea parklands.”

The vice president noted with satisfaction the economic importance and cultural roles played by the shea tree in the lives of people of Africa and the world, particularly in rural areas.

Bawumia, however, expressed concern over indiscriminate felling of trees especially shea trees as well as the destruction of shea parklands.

He said: “I am informed by industry experts that shea is a big sequester of carbon, saving the ecosystem in the environment where they grow.

READ ALSO: Niger tackles unemployment with shea processing

“Despite this important role, it is sad to see trees cut down for various reasons such as charcoal for household fuel.

“Remember, Shea trees take at least 20 years to mature; therefore, cutting down one shea tree means destroying many years of work done.”

He stressed the need for Global Shea Alliance (GSA) to continue engaging stakeholders including government regulatory authorities, local chiefs, landowners, women collectors, communities and the private sector to strive and achieve the objectives of the Action for Shea Parkland.

He added that the GSA, a non-profit industry association, had more than 30 countries contributing, since its establishment 10 years ago, toward sustaining the shea industry.

“GSA is a non-profit industry association with 706 members from 36 countries including women groups, brands and retailers, suppliers, and NGOs.

“Through public-private partnerships, GSA promotes industry sustainability, quality practices and standards, and demand for shea in food and cosmetics,” he said. (NAN)

Agency Reporter

Egypt has signed a deal with France to buy 30 Rafale fighter jets, a statement by the Egyptian Armed Forces said on Tuesday.

“The deal will be financed through a loan to be re-paid over at least 10 years,’’ the statement said, without disclosing the value of the deal.

READ ALSO: 32 killed as two trains collide in southern Egypt

The deal, signed between the Egyptian Armed Forces and the French Dassault Aviation company, aims to develop Egypt’s capabilities, it added.

In 2015, Egypt received 24 French Rafale aircraft in a deal that allowed the purchase of more Rafale jets and warships in the future. (Xinhua/NAN)

Agency Reporter

Recently the CBN issued a circular on February 5th, 2021, to DMBs (Deposit Money Banks) to desist from transacting with entities trading cryptocurrencies; and to close their bank accounts accordingly.

The unexpected policy resulted in adverse effects on many cryptocurrency trading companies, including the Patricia Technologies ecosystem, which saw other products and services not related to cryptocurrency suffering gravely.

These inspired the birth of Glover on Friday, 19th of March 2021, to oversee the non-crypto services of the business, which include Giftcards, Refill (Bill payments) and Airtime2Cash services. Today, Glover operates as a stand alone, separate from Patricia.

Glover prides itself as a community impact building solutions provider and is here to improve the gifting culture of Nigerians and the world at large.

As Nigerians, we give gifts for every occasion- weddings, birthdays, Christmas, Valentine, and even at random. The culture of gifting seems to be of great importance in Nigeria, and with the service offerings of Glover, this culture is definitely here to stay.

In light of this, Glover has made global technologies available to enable existing Patricia Giftcard traders who have registered as at the 15th of March, to make the smooth transition with their login details, while new users set up their accounts with ease. This is to further emphasize on its promise of seamless services.

Agency Reporter

At least 20 people were killed and three others wounded when a bus was hit by a lorry on Wednesday at a desert road of Assuit province in southern Egypt, according to the Health Ministry.

“Some 36 fully-equipped ambulances were rushed to the scene to transfer the wounded people to the public hospital in Assuit,” the ministry said in a statement.

The civil protection forces managed to put down the fire caused by the heavy crash in the bus that was carrying 23 people.

The wounded mainly suffered fractures and bruises, the ministry added.

READ ALSO: 32 killed as two trains collide in southern Egypt

Road accidents are common in Egypt due to poorly-maintained road infrastructure and loosely-applied traffic regulations.

Over the past few years, Egypt has been upgrading its road network, building new roads and bridges, and repairing existing ones.

Deaths from road accidents in Egypt dropped by 44 per cent in 2019-2020, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.

(Xinhua/NAN)

By Samson Oti

Nigerian Consul – General for North West & South West Regions, Ibrahim Bashir, has received The Guardian Post 2020 Peace & Diplomacy Award for his sustained efforts in addressing the plight of Nigerian s in Cameroon.

The group noted the Consul General was found worthy of the award because since he assumed duties in 2018, he has encouraged cordial relationships among members of the Nigerian Unions, including the women and youth wings.

Part of his outstanding performance was visiting prisons across his regions of Consular jurisdictions where he paid fines for some Nigerian inmates, donated relief materials for Nigerian prisoners and orphanages and helped in the repatriation of some prisoners back home.

He also collaborated with Cameroon health officials to curb the outbreak of cholera epidemic among Nigerian communities in the Bakassi peninsula, donated vocational skill materials to assist internally displaced victims of the ongoing crisis in the Anglophone regions and has been engaging the Government of Cameroon on the fair treatment of Nigerians in across the North West and southwest Regions.

READ ALSO:Osinbajo to grace book launch on Guardian newspaper’s first decade

The event made up of lawyers, members of the civil society and prominent journalists in Cameroon from the private and public media did a thorough job even as it noted the president of the Jury works with L’Action newspaper and is the president of Cameroon Association of English-Speaking journalists in Cameroon (CAWASEJ) with the publisher of the weekly newspaper, Herald-Tribune serving as the secretary.

It listed other recipients as Richard Bale the Canadian High Commissioner as the Diplomat of the year for his continuous engagement with the Government of Cameroon on resolving the crisis in the two English speaking regions of the country, Archbishop Samuel Kleda as the 2020 Man of the year for his contribution to the fight against COVID-19 and Chenwi Peter, Bamenda II Mayor as well as the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), Buea.

An elated Bashir thanked the organisers for finding him worthy to be recognised.

He said it will spur him to do more.

By Ibrahim Adams 

The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) has appointed Adebiyi Micheal Bamidele as a youth ambassador.

The appointment, which was announced in an official letter from the West African Youth Council, is in recognition of his antecedents of dedication, hard work and diligence in the area of service to humanity.

The recognition solidifies all he stands for and will surely make the young entrepreneur do more, the council stated.

Bamidele is CEO of BigMikeEntertainment.

He was presented with the award in Abuja at a forum that attracted key stakeholders, including delegates from ECOWAS youth council, legal practitioners, CSOs and medical personnel among others.

Highlights of the event was presentation of the Nelson Mandela Leadership award of peace building, diplomatic plate number and ECOWAS identification card.

Friends and well wishers showered encomium on the leadership qualities of Bamidele, saying the award is well deserved.

Following the socio-economic and political tension in the country, the Founder, Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies, Nigeria, Apostle Ausbeth Ajagu, has charged Nigerians not to only Pray for the redemption of the country but conscientiously work towards the ousting of anti-people leaders in both private and Public sectors.

Ajagu who is also a clergyman made this known in Lagos at a just-concluded “One Billion Souls for Christ” crusade, organized by his Ministry (The Pentium Ministries) where he affirmed that though humans could everything to secure life and properties, howbeit, ultimate safety is of God, hence the need to yell to God for urgent intervention.

The political economist maintained that the challenges bedeviling the country is beyond man, but all hope was not lost, because God can turn around everything for the best, but Nigerians must first have the right mindset and allow God to choose leaders to achieve His purpose.

“The country is bad but it’s not God’s fault, though it’s God who installs leaders across the board, He Alone can undo them; however, we all must not only pray but we must work conscientiously with our senses intact, by electing Leaders who can deliver not those who pay their way into the seat of power and mess up later,”

Ajagu maintained that only God installs leaders and Only him could remove them, howbeit, every leader must give account of stewardship to God.

He said; “It’s God that install leaders through the instrumentality of man, He alone can remove them, so Nigerians to go back to God to give them better Leaders as Nations do from time immemorial. God is not yet through with Nigeria adding that the best is yet to come. Nigeria is blessed. The problem is we have not gotten it right from leadership. God Has the power to change everything. But we must have the right mindset and never allow men and women who doesn’t worth it to grab the reins of power, but we must work and pray for the right leaders.”
On youth restiveness, he affirmed that the Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies, was poised to give hope to young people by offering several correctional incentives to help ameliorate their plights, but the youth must have the right mindset regarding Divinity, humanity and Life at large.

“Our ministry (The Pentium Ministries) held a Crusade, themed: “Dinner with The King” in FESTAC, Lagos, and every young person who attended the crusade and showed interest in running our entrepreneurship, leadership, mentorship and other trainings would be given 50 percent discount of total cost to learn any course of their choice we offer for Life. Such youths would also gain more of Networking, jobs opportunities, reference and recommendations even to travel overseas. We want to give the youths a reason to live and lead a Godly life instead of indulging in all manner of evil,”

He urged young people to follow only selfless leaders who can deliver the expected end instead of sheepishly blustering for selfish individuals whose only interest are to amass wealth even for their tenth generation.

“As elections draws nigh, I wish the youth would forgo the immediate and go for the ultimate. The ultimate is the end result which are the democracy dividends. If you go for the immediate fantasies and ecstasies, your future is doomed.”

The political economist frown at the incessant defense mechanism Public office holders put forward whenever they fail, noting that leadership is not for everyone but for a few who are empowered by divinity to fulfill God’s mandate for humanity.

“God is not the cause of insecurity, unemployment, and general hardship in the country, everyone has a divine assignment, we must find ours and run with it. As for the leaders, they must give account of stewardship one day because they are playing feudal roles. They may run from the eyes of men, but not from the Almighty,” he added.

By Moses Emorinken, Abuja

The African Union (AU) has been urged to be more vocal and engaging in issues concerning the troubling state of internal peace and security in the country

Newly inaugurated members of the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC), Mrs. Morola Babalola and Mrs. Olubukola Abitoye, made these known in Abuja.

Babalola stressed that part of the objective of the Union was to promote peace and security, hence the need for the African Union-Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) to champion such in the country.

“What African Union stands for and why we are here in Nigeria is to promote the objectives of AU across all African states.Let us promote internal peace AU stand for peace and security.

“AU-ECOSOCC should lend its voice to calls promoting peace in Nigeria to say that the kidnappings, killings, banditry must stop,” she said.

The Head, of AU-ECOSOCC Nigeria Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST) Cluster Committee, Gbenga Adeleye, while expressing the readiness of the Union to collaborate with the media, civil society organizations (CSOs), and professionals including women, youths and persons with special abilities, urged the newly elected members of the AU ECOSOCC Nigeria Committee to bring their wealth of experience, professional skills and wisdom on board.

By Faith Abiodun-Nwaifo

Popular Pastor and leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) Kenya, Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, has announced the demise of his eight-year-old daughter Israella.

Israella passed away in the Intensive care unit of a hospital in Kenya after suffering from a liver infection.

He made the announcement via his Facebook account @ Prophet Shepherd Bushiri.

He lamented she would have made it if she was not obstructed at the airport.

The Police authorities in Malawi recently delayed Isabella from seeking medical assistance when they blocked the prophet’s children, cousin Esther Bushiri and mother-in-law Magdalena Zgambo from departing from Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe in a private air ambulance.

They were later allowed to travel after a week.

According to him: ”It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing on of my daughter, Israella Bushiri.

“As a Father it was my desire to see her grow and serve the Lord, however, the will of God was for her to return back to Him.

“Israella was born during a time when my wife and I were going through great persecution, and she has lived her life witnessing what it means to fight and labor for the Lord despite trials and battles.

“She came at a time when we really needed her and through it all, she offered my wife and I, including the entire church great comfort and enlightenment.

“We are a church built on faith and if we aren’t careful to observe the ways of the Lord, we can mistake God’s will for God’s punishment.

“If things could be reversed we would have desired it to be so. However, the will of the Lord is above our desires. We have experienced it and have accepted it.”

READ ALSO: TB Joshua becomes first African Pastor to reach 5m Facebook followers

He added: “Israella was a strong young girl who loved to worship and serve God, despite her young age. She was brilliant in her speech and possessed a divine excellency in the way she spoke and even tackled her studies.

“Today, all those that encountered her testify that they felt a certain special aura that oozed divinity. She was a walking angel. In our darkest moments she gave us light and in our lowest moments, she lifted our spirits. I am grateful to God to have fathered an angel of such spirit and beauty. She will always be my little girl.

“When I spoke to the doctor, he highlighted that if she had not been blocked at the airport the first time she needed to travel to Kenya for medical assistance, she wouldn’t have passed on.

“It is very disheartening and sad, therefore, that my daughter has become a victim of the persecutions that we are facing from South Africa.

“However, my wife and I bow to God’s sovereignty and as this is his will, it could have happened anyway.

“Today, my wife and I choose not to mourn her but to celebrate her life. I do not believe that the devil could take the life of my daughter.

“She was a child of God and she passed on to be with Him according to His will. We prayed and we fasted, we commanded out- and in this week, when the Lord spoke to me that it will be a week of His will- His will has taken place.”