The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mozambique

  • D’Tigress beat Mozambique by 71-66 points

    D’Tigress beat Mozambique by 71-66 points

    • To face Cameroon in today’s semi-final

    Nigeria’s female national basketball team, D’Tigress advance to the AfroBasket Women 2015 semi-final after beating Mozambique by 71-66 points in the first quarter-finals on Thursday in Yaounde, Cameroon.

    The Nigerian ladies will now face Cameroon in the semi final after the host defeated Egypt by 76-54 points in the other quarter final game.

    The Scott Nnaji led team had on Tuesday night beat Algeria 79-49 in their fifth and last Group B game to reach the quarter final after starting the tournament with a 57-51 defeat to Angola before going on to win the rest of their group matches, beating Egypt 97-68, Guinea 100-47 and Senegal 75-64.

    Yesterday’s game saw Joyce Ekworomadu sparked Nigeria with a game-best 20 points, while Odelia Mafanela and Deolinda Ngulela combined for 34 Mozambique points.

    Game hero, Helen Ogunjimi has officially become Nigeria’s secret weapon. She not only played aggressive defense, but  30-year-old guard provide two crucial three-pointers keeping Nigeria very much alive in the contest.

    Two years ago, Mozambique upset Nigeria in the quarter finals, and on Thursday they were very close to repeat their fortunes, but Nigeria stepped on floor a desperation mode, reaching the tournament’s semi final for the second time since 2011.

    Ndidi Madu, who clear the boards with a game-high 13 rebounds later told FIBA.com: “It was a tough game for us. Mozambique is a great team. We didn’t do a good of job rebounding. We definitely need to able to rebound in order to win ball games. It does not matter who we face tomorrow, we just need to be ready for the fight.”

  • Nigeria, Mozambique in must-win clash

    Nigeria and Mozambique will both be in search of maximum points when they meet in their 2014 African Nations Championship Group A encounter at the Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday.

    The Super Eagles are currently in third place on the table with zero points after kicking off their campaign with a 2-1 loss to West African rivals Mali.

    However, Stephen Keshi, who was recently named the African Coach of the Year for leading Nigeria to victory at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations believes the current side made up of locally-based players have the potentials to turn things around.

    “The pressure was massive and I expected this type of thing happening,” said Keshi referring to their opening defeat.

    “Gradually, they are getting off it but I must admit that only three players played well in the last game and that was why we lost, we expect eleven players to play well on Wednesday for us to get the result we want.

    “But I am certain that they now know that they have to satisfy themselves and have confidence in themselves, because we have lost the opening game and we have to forget that and fight for qualification from the remaining two games.”

    Mozambique, on the other hand, are currently at the bottom of the table, also with no points on the board, after giving away their lead to lose 3-1 to hosts South Africa on Saturday.

    Mambas coach Joao Chissano is expecting strong backlash from the wounded Super Eagles, but believes his side will play with less pressure.

    “The Eagles are the big brothers in Africa, the African champions and Stephen Keshi is the African Coach of the Year,” he said.

    “We don’t have any of those accolades, so pressure is on Nigeria not Mozambique.”

  • Tsogo Sun invests US$100m in hotels in Nigeria, Mozambique

    Tsogo Sun Group has announced that its plans to invest US$100 million (R900 million) in two projects in Nigeria and Mozambique . This is in line with the group’s growth strategy.

    The project in Nigeria involves the acquisition of an approximate 75 per cent stake in Ikoyi Hotels Limited, the holding company of the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel in Lagos . This hotel has been managed by the group for the original developers since opening in 2009. The group’s expected investment, including loan funding, is approximately US$70 million (R630 million).

    The acquisition is subject to several conditions precedent, including regulatory approvals. Shareholders will be notified once these have been fulfilled and the acquisition becomes effective. The acquisition is not a categorized transaction in terms of the listings requirements of the JSE Limited.

    The Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel has 195 guest rooms and suites, a restaurant, a business centre as well as meeting room facilities. The hotel also has additional land available for future expansion.

    Says Von Aulock: “This acquisition will cement our presence within the fast-growing and progressive Nigerian economy as well as provide a base from which to expand our operations in Nigeria.The investments totalling US$100 million will be funded through a combination of existing offshore cash and new US$–based borrowing facilities’’.

    Tsogo Sun will spend US$30 million (R270 million) to expand its hotel in Mozambique, the Southern Sun Maputo. This will involve a complete refurbishment of the existing 158 rooms , including the bedrooms and public areas as well as an expansion of the restaurant, the addition of 110 new rooms as well as new conferencing facilities. The expansion takes advantage of the unique location of the hotel, extending along the beachfront on the Avenida de Marginal.

    Says Marcel von Aulock, CEO of Tsogo Sun: “The Mozambican economy has shown encouraging signs of growth in recent years, and Tsogo Sun has benefited from a strong trading performance at the Southern Sun Maputo. The group has for some time been planning to utilize the additional land owned next to the hotel and believe that this exciting expansion programme will cement the Southern Sun Maputo as the destination hotel of choice in the city.”

    Tsogo Sun operates hotels in seven African countries, including South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and the Seychelles.

  • ‘More than 140m girls to become child brides in 2020’

    ‘More than 140m girls to become child brides in 2020’

    The United Nations on Friday said that by 2020 more than 140 million girls would have become child brides globally if the current marriage rates continue.

    It warned that little progress has been made towards ending the harmful practise.

    The Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, said of the 140 million girls, 50 million will be under the age of 15.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Osotimehin spoke at a special session on child marriage at the ongoing UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York.

    Some of the issues focused on during the session include supporting and enforcing legislation to increase the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18 years.

    Others are providing equal access to quality primary and secondary education for girls and boys; mobilising girls, boys, parents and leaders to change practises that discriminate against girls among others.

    He said that while 158 countries have set the legal age for marriage at 18 years, laws are rarely enforced since the practice of marrying young children was upheld by tradition and social norms.

    He stated that the practise was most common in rural sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

    The UNFPA Executive Director said that currently, 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage are Niger, Chad, the Central African Republic, Bangladesh, Guinea, Mozambique, Mali, Burkina Faso, South Sudan and Malawi.

     

  • Mozambique repatriates eight Nigerians

    Mozambique repatriates eight Nigerians

    …18 other nationals too

    The Mozambican authorities said on Tuesday that 26 illegal immigrants including eight Nigerians were repatriated from the country last weekend.

    Spokesperson for the Maputo city police command, Orlando Modumane, said that 16 of the deportees were found to have entered the country with false visas.

    He said the remaining were prevented from entering the Southern African country because of the lack of information on their destination and their accommodation.

    Modumane added that the group included  Pakistanis, nine Somalis, eight Nigerians and three Bengalis.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that most of the illegal immigrants, who got to the former Portuguese colony, used Mozambique as a corridor to reach South Africa in search for better life.

    Previously, the illegal immigrants crossed the borders on foot with the help of local people or transported by local drivers in exchange for money.

    There have been cases of deaths of the illegal immigrants who were transported in cargo trucks to the Mozambican capital, Maputo.

    Some manage to attain their goals, while others are repatriated to their home countries.

    Those who manage to do so are involved in formal and informal business.

    The authorities accused some of the immigrants of being involved in criminal acts.

    Those who entered Mozambique through the northernmost borders are sent to Maretane refugee centre in the northern province of Nampula.

    They are interrogated, and those who seek for political asylum are checked properly by the ministries of foreign affairs and interior.

    The Mozambican authorities said they are stepping up security at the airports and on the borders to prevent the immigrants from entering the country.