The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mozambique

  • Buhari condoles with Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi over cyclone

    President Muhammadu Buhari has sent condolences to families who have lost loved ones, homes and means of livelihood in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi as Tropical Cyclone Idai takes a toll on Southern Africa.

    The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, deeply shared in the pain and struggle of the governments and people in the region who have been working hard to ensure safety of citizens and minimize the devastating effect of the cyclone.

    Read Also: Buhari, service chiefs meet in Aso Rock

    Buhari assured the governments and people of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi of the prayers and support of Nigeria as they pass through the trying period, while commending all the humanitarian organisations for their interventions.

  • 2019 Davis Cup: Nigeria battles Tunisia, six others for promotion

    Nigeria will be making another attempt at gaining promotion to the elite division of the Davis Cup as the West African side will battle host – Kenya, Tunisia, Benin Republic, Namibia, Algeria, Mozambique and Madagascar.

    The Africa Group III event will also take place in Nairobi, Kenya from September 11 to 14 on the clay courts of the Nairobi Club.

    After finishing fifth at the 2018 edition, Nigeria will be on the umpteenth time be heading out of the country for a place in the top division. Nigeria’s best outing in the Davis Cup was in 1988 and 1989 editions when the team reached the Group I semifinals.

    According to International Tennis Federation (ITTF), Kenya has been named as the host of the Africa Group III event after the East African nation edged out Tunisia to secure hosting right for the tournament in September.

    Being the second time in a row that Kenya will be hosting the tournament having hosted the 2018 edition in which Kenya, Tunisia and Namibia secured promotion to the Africa Group II. But the trio were denied the participation in the elite cadre after a new sponsor came on board and opted to use a new ranking system which knocked the three promoted countries back to Africa Group III.

    The new ranking system came to effect after a new sponsor, Kosmos Group, an investment firm owned by FC Barcelona and Spain defender, Gerard Pique, signed a deal valued at $3b covering 25 years.

    For Africa Group IV, Brazzaville will play host the qualifiers from June 26 to 29, with the host – Congo Brazzaville facing Cameroun, Rwanda, Botswana, Ghana, Uganda, and Cote D’Ivoire on the hard courts of the Complexe Sportif Concorde de Kintele

  • 10 people beheaded in Mozambique attack -Police

    Police in Mozambique said 10 people were beheaded in an attack over the weekend in an area where previous Islamist attacks have been reported.

    Radio Mocambique said police in the capital Maputo could not immediately give details of the attack in a village near the town of Palma, close to Mozambique’s border with Tanzania and near one of the world’s biggest untapped offshore gas fields.

    “unknown persons killed by decapitation at least 10 people in recent days in the administrative post of Olumbi, Palma district, in the north of Cabo Delgado province,” Radio Mocambique said in a brief report.

    The radio station did not provide any further details on the attack.

    Portuguese news agency Lusa, quoting national broadcaster TVM, said two children were among those beheaded but this could not be independently verified.

    Palma district administrator David Machimbuko told the station that authorities had moved security teams to areas where further attacks were feared.

    Police spokesman Inacio Dina said officers were gathering information from a team dispatched to the north.

    Local media have reported a series of attacks carried out by Islamists since October 2017, when police stations were attacked in the north, a predominantly Muslim region.

    Mozambique has not been a focal point of Islamist militant activity in the past and police have been reluctant to ascribe the attacks to Islamists.

    Muslims make up about 18 per cent of Mozambique’s population.

    Roman Catholics form the largest single religious grouping, with about 30 per cent of its 30 million people.

    The gas project is located in the Rovuma basin off the northern coast of Mozambique, an area where oil firms are exploring.

    Experts say the reserves are enough to supply energy to Britain, France, Germany and Italy for over 20 years. (Reuters/NAN)

  • Mozambique to hold general election in October 2019 – Presidency

    Mozambique will hold presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections on Oct. 15, 2019, the presidency said on Wednesday, setting the date for a vote that will precede the southern African country’s emergence as a major gas exporter.

    President Filipe Nyusi set the date of the election, a notice on the presidency website said.

    Mozambique is due to start exporting liquefied natural gas in 2022 from huge offshore fields operated by oil majors including Italy’s ENI and Exxon Mobil.

    The news men reports that General elections were held in Mozambique on Oct. 15, 2014.

    Nyusi, the candidate of the ruling FRELIMO, was elected as President, and FRELIMO retained its parliamentary majority.

    Read Also: D’Tigress beat Mozambique in Afrobasket opener

    The President was elected using the two-round system.

    Then President Armando Guebuza was constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.

    The 250 members of the Assembly of the Republic were elected in 11 multi-member constituencies based on the country’s provinces and two single-member constituencies representing Mozambican citizens in Africa and Europe.

    Seat allocation in the multi-member constituencies was based on proportional representation using the d’Hondt method, with an electoral threshold of five per cent.

    NAN
     

  • Zimbabwe, Malawi ban South African meat products

    Zimbabwe, Malawi ban South African meat products

    Zimbabwe and Malawi on Tuesday banned South African meat products following the outbreak of the listeria disease that has since been linked to meet products from a South African company.

    Malawi Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) stated this in a statement in Lilongwe.

    CFTC has called all retailers, wholesalers and distributors to get rid of all meat products from the South African company, Tiger Brands Unit of Enterprise Food and RCL Foods.

    The statement further adds that the CFTC will inspect all business places to ensure that the banned meat products have totally been removed from the shelves of all shops.

    Read Also:  Zimbabwe arrests university chief over Grace Mugabe’s degree

    Since the government of South Africa linked the outbreak to one of its own meat production companies and instituted a recall of all the meat products involved, many southern Africa countries, have banned meat import from South Africa.

    The countries are Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi.

    Also, Zimbabwe had joined other countries in banning imports of processed meat products from South Africa after a deadly listeria outbreak there, Zimbabwe’s ministry of health said in a statement on Tuesday.

    South Africa on Monday said cold meat products were to blame for delays in tracing the cause of the world’s worst listeria outbreak, which has killed 180 people in the past year.

    NAN

  • Africa must reposition its economy to attract investors – Osinbajo

    Africa must reposition its economy to attract investors – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called on Africa to reposition its economy in the direction that will attractive investors because investment depends on the advantages derivable.

    Osinbajo made this call while interacting with a committee of African Ambassadors to Indonesia led by the dean of the group, Ms Alice Mageza of Zimbabwe, on the sideline of his two-day working visit to Jakarta.

    The Ambassadors include those of Egypt, Ethiopia, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan and Tunisia.

    Mr Laolu Akande, Spokesperson to the Vice President on Media and Publicity disclosed this in a statement made available on Tuesday in Abuja.

    The statement quoted Osinbajo as saying that Africa’s indices of having the lowest integration statistics as well as the lowest GDP ratio can only be reversed by preparing the continent for quality investments that will benefit the people.

    The vice president, who was responding to questions from the Ambassadors on the future of Africa’s economic prosperity, said, “the quality and quantum of potential investors in Africa is huge.

    “But that the way that such investments will go will depend on the advantages that the investors get from investing in such economies.

    “We in Africa must prepare our economies in that direction that attracts such huge and qualitative investments. It is for us to push and we must push,’’ he said.

    On the kinds of investments that Africa desires, Osinbajo said African must focus on the manufacturing sector.

    He noted, “the most important thing for Africa is that whoever wants to invest in our countries should start in manufacturing.’’

    He, however, urged African diplomats in Indonesia to work together in the quest for attracting investment opportunities to Africa.

    Osinbajo said, “if you negotiate together, it is probably going to be more effective than if we negotiate separately.’’

    Earlier, Vice President met with Indonesian business leaders under the auspices of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he stressed the need for Indonesian companies to increase their investment portfolios in Nigeria.

    “Nigeria would like to see more Indonesian companies invest in the manufacturing sector even though there are quite a few activities going on in Nigeria; there is also room for more collaboration and cooperation.

    “The opportunities in the various sectors comprising oil and gas, manufacturing are huge because the major incentive lies in the market, the Nigerian and the West African markets.’’

    Giving an overview of ongoing projects in Nigeria and collaborations between Indonesian and Nigerian businesses, Osinbajo said Nigeria would need a rolling stock in its railway revitalization project.

    He outlined the various incentives given by the Federal Government to attract investors into Nigeria as, government’s efforts at increasing foreign exchange availability through the NIFEX market.

    Others he said include approval of pioneer status for some category of companies to enjoy a range of incentives; establishment of special economic zones; initiatives to increase foreign exchange availability and opening up of marginal fields.

    Earlier, some members of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also expressed concern about the declining value of the Indonesia-Nigeria trade which currently stands at $1.70 billion dollars from $3.18 billion in 2012.

    The chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Rosan Roeslani said, “being the 15th largest economy in the world, Indonesia through its investors is desirous of increasing its portfolios to levels that justify Nigeria’s position as the country’s biggest trading partner in Africa.’’

    He said Osinbajo’s visit to Indonesia and meeting with the business leaders are strong indications that Nigeria is ready to take her pride of place among Indonesia’s biggest trading partners in the world.

    On her part, the Chief Executive Officer of Indonesia Exim Bank, Shintya Roesly expressed the readiness of the bank to support the revitalization of trade relations between both countries.

    She said this will be through the financing of import and export activities with a view to making even the balance of trade between the two countries.

    Roesly stressed the need for creation of a roadmap and the establishment of a working group with timelines to enhance trade development between both countries.

    Mr Daniel Purba, the representative of PERTAMINA – Indonesian state-owned oil and Natural Gas Corporation said the company has already opened discussions with stakeholders in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

    According to him, this is with the view to investing in Nigeria’s upstream assets.

    There were other interests expressed by investors in the railway, aviation, agriculture and foods sectors.

    The Vice President was accompanied to the meeting by Mr Hakeem Balogun, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Indonesia; Dr Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Mines and Steel Development; Hajiya Zainab Ahmed.

    Others include the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning; Sen. Babafemi Ojudu, the Political Adviser to the President, and other top government officials.

    NAN

  • Footballer snatched by Crocodile in Mozambique

    Footballer snatched by Crocodile in Mozambique

     
    A teenage footballer has been snatched and killed by a 16-foot crocodile while training along the banks of a river in Mozambique.
    Estevao Alberto Gino, 19, played for Atletico Mineiro de Tete, a club in Mozambique’s second division, and was training near the Zambezi river in the western province of Tete.
    His coach, Eduardo Carvalho, explains: ‘He was training and after jogging he stretched his hands into the water and that was when the crocodile caught him.’
    He was not with his team-mates at the time but two neighbours who witnessed the attack estimated the crocodile to have been about 16-foot long, and said ‘they could not do anything’ to save him.
    Estevao, a centre back, had played for the team – named after a Brazilian team – for several years, starting in the youth team.
    On their Facebook page they wrote: ‘We are mourning our player, our brother, our friend, our son and our eternal central defender Estevao Alberto Gino, only 19 years of age with a promising future, who was the victim of a crocodile on the banks of the Zambezi river.’
    Last week villagers in neighbouring Zimbabwe cut open a crocodile and found the remains of an eight-year-old boy inside the beast.

  • ACCW:First Bank versus FAP: Ahmedu wants aggressive play

    FIRST Bank Basketball Club coach, Peter Ahmedu has told his players to be very aggressive

    in today’s quarter-final game against FAP of Cameroun if they hope to progress to the

    semi-finals of the 22nd FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women in Maputo, Mozambique.
    The Elephant Girls qualified for the quarter-finals after finishing in second place in

    Group B, with three wins in four games, behind defending champion, Agosto of Angola. The

    Cameroonian team finished third in group A, to set up a clash with Nigeria and FIBA Africa

    Zone Three champions.
    Ahmedu, who took the players through various drills yesterday, noted that there was no room

    for costly errors at this stage of the competition and charged the players to go all out

    for victory in today’s game.
    He also said that the players must play good defence against the Cameroonians, who love

    shooting from the perimeter. “What we need at this stage of the competition is to play

    hard, stay strong and maintain 100 per cent concentration. We canot afford to lose guard

    now as we hope to play in the finals on Sunday.
    “The Cameroonians are a very strong side and we must match their grit if we hope to win

    this tie. I have watched our opponents and I have told my players what they need to do to

    counter their threat,” Ahmedu added.
    FAP’s coach, Francois Enyague was also positive about his team’s chances, predicting a very

    tough game against First Bank.
    “We are ready for the game. It will be tough against a strong and resolute Nigerian team,

    but we will take our chances with the hope of winning the game,” Enyague added.
    The first game today will start by 11:15am between USIU of Kenya and FIBA Zone Three

    representative, Etoile Filante to determine who finishes ninth and tenth.
    The first quarter-final match will involve KPA of Kenya and Agosto at 12:30pm, the second

    will be between A’Politecnica of Mozambique at 15:45pm, GSP Algeria takes on Ferroviario of

    Mozambique, while the First Bank versus FAP, which comes up at 20:15pm, 19:15 pm Nigerian

    time, complete the fixtures.

  • First Bank BC names 12 for African championship

    First Bank Basketball Club has released the names of 12 players that will compete at the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women in Maputo, Mozambique from November 25 to December 4.
    The list is made up of Adekoya Bilqis, Nwakamma Deborah, Akaraiwe Nkem, Akashili Nkechi and Ukato Magdalene. Others are Odion Tina, Udeaja Chioma, Daniel Bukky, Atosu Upe, Brida Rodriquez (Mexico), Fofana Minata (Cote D’Ivoire) and Nigerian international, Olayinka Sanni who resides in the USA. Another D’Tigress player, Sarah Ogoke who was cleared to be with the team did not make the list.
    Assistant coach of the team, Taiye Adeniyi stated that the players were picked based on their current form and added that the Elephant Girls (First Bank) would finish on the podium at the end of the championship.

    Adeniyi stated that the team resumed training as soon as they arrived from Lome, Togo where they won the FIBA Africa Zone three Championship last month. He also stated that the inclusion of their new acquisition would boost the team’s desire to win a medal in Mozambique.
    “We have been training hard since we came back with the Zone Three trophy in Lome.
    Fofana, Sanni and Rodriquez have been cleared to play for the team. But the bank needs to send them tickets to enable them travel down for the championship,” she added.

    The Nigerian team has won the championship twice, but finished fourth in the last two editions and will hope to win a medal in Mozambique. The team left Nigeria yesterday.
    Other teams that have qualified for the championship are Inter Clube de Luanda (Angola), host Ferroviario de Maputo (Mozambique), Primeiro D’Agosto (Angola), GS Petroliers (Algeria), KPA (Kenya), First Bank (Nigeria), USIU Flames (Kenya), Etoile Filante (Togo), and MB2ALL (Madagascar).

  • U.S reviews aid to Mozambique over hidden debt

    The United States government is reviewing the $400 million in aid it provides to Mozambique annually after the cash-strapped southern African nation admitted to having more than $1 billion of undisclosed debt.

    The U.S is the biggest bilateral donor to Mozambique, with a focus on health, agriculture and education, Reuters reported.

    The southern African nation has been seen as an African success story that recorded blistering rates of economic growth before the downturn in commodity prices, which has derailed development of coal fields and stalled offshore gas projects.

    “The United States joins other donors in the review of assistance to Mozambique,” Reuters quoted the U.S embassy in Mozambique as saying in a statement released on Monday.

    Mozambique’s admission of hidden debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in April has hit cash inflows, with the World Bank delaying approval of development loans and rating agency Moody’s saying the situation was a “credit negative.”

    “We appreciate the initial steps taken by senior government officials to clarify the debt situation. These are the first important steps to restore confidence,” the U.S. embassy said.

    “But the government must now act quickly to account for these loans and how the funds were used, as well as outlining a plan to mitigate its impact on the economy of Mozambique.”

    The embassy said a group of donor nations known as the G14 has also suspended general budget support to Mozambique.