The Federal Government says the malaria vaccine will now be part of the national routine immunisation schedule. Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister for Health & Social Welfare described malaria as not just a health crisis, but also an economic and developmental emergency that must be eliminated. The Coordinating Minister stated that the federal government is resolute in its commitment to eliminate malaria. He says Malaria reduces productivity, increases out-of-pocket health ex...
Dec 02, 2024•1 min
Iran says it will hold nuclear talks with officials from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom this week, amid escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UK officials confirmed the meeting. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says a range of regional and international issues, including the issues of Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the nuclear issue, will be discussed. The International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution ...
Nov 25, 2024•1 min
Negotiators at the United Nations climate talks agreed on a $300bn target to help developing nations adapt to climate change, but many poorer nations have dismissed the agreement as insufficient. The agreement came a day after the COP29 talks were supposed to end in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Richer nations agreed to pay at least $300bn a year by 2035 to help poorer countries make their economies more environmentally friendly and prepare for natural disasters. The number is an increase fro...
Nov 25, 2024•1 min
A new PricewaterhouseCoopers reports that Kenya-based multinationals and publicly listed companies have come under fire for poor tax transparency. The study looked at the tax disclosures of 10 top companies and found major gaps—none of them shared their tax strategies, transfer pricing practices, or how their tax policies connect to sustainability goals like ESG. PwC urged Kenyan companies to follow frameworks like GRI 207 to improve accountability and help economic growth. Become a supporter of...
Nov 25, 2024•57 sec
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced a reduction in its price of petrol, to ₦970 per litre for oil marketers. The company’s Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, says the decision is the refinery’s way of appreciating Nigerians for their unwavering support in making the refinery a dream come true. He says the move is a cut from the refinery’s ₦990 ex-depot price announced earlier this month. He says this is to thank the government for their support as this will complem...
Nov 25, 2024•58 sec
The Federal Government of Nigeria and Fundação Getulio Vargas of Brazil have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance private sector development in fertiliser production, hybrid seed technology, and agricultural finance. The Director (Information & Public Relations), Abiodun Oladunjoye, noted that the agreement marks a new phase of strategic collaboration between Nigeria and FGV, the Green Imperative Project (GIP) lead implementer, one of the largest international agricultural technol...
Nov 25, 2024•1 min
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says Nigeria remains the most viable aviation market in Africa. He says that with the potential to become an African aviation hub, it is high time the country opened its market to attract investors who will help improve its infrastructure. He says the only way forward is to attract private investors because budgetary allocations cannot carry the big infrastructure plan. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com...
Nov 25, 2024•52 sec
US President Joe Biden has given the green light for Ukraine to use long-range missiles supplied by the US to strike Russia Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the news which came via briefings from US officials by saying, "Such things are not announced; missiles speak for themselves." Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously warned Western nations against such a move, saying it would represent the Nato military alliance's "direct participation" in the Ukraine war. Become a ...
Nov 18, 2024•50 sec
Mozambique's government has banned protests following sustained post-election unrest that has left several people dead and dozens others injured. It follows last month's disputed presidential election, which Frelimo, the party that has governed Mozambique since 1975, won. The weeks-long protests have led to violent clashes with the police and at least 18 people have been killed, according to Human Rights Watch. Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda has urged Mozambicans to cooperate with the authoriti...
Nov 18, 2024•1 min
The Nigerian Exchange Limited has proposed new rules on block divestment and large-volume trades. Market stakeholders were invited to share their feedback on the proposed rules in a notice to trading licence holders to amend Trading Licence Holders Rules (Part XIIIA) on Block Divestments and large-volume trades. The Chief Executive Officer of the NGX Regulation Limited, Olufemi Shobanjo, says the proposed change includes that trade shall be treated as a block divestment where it involves: a) a t...
Nov 18, 2024•58 sec
The Benue State Government says it is working on enacting an electricity law to regulate the state energy sector. The Commissioner for Transport, Renewable Energy, and Power, Mr Omale Omale, says that a draft of the bill was at the Ministry of Justice for vetting and onward presentation to the state executive council. The commissioner stated that the bill would be sent to the House of Assembly as an executive bill as soon as the executive council approved it. Omale says the new Electricity Act a...
Nov 18, 2024•59 sec
Nigerian Budget Office says Rising taxes and oil revenues by the Federal Government have boosted its earnings by 76 per cent, from N7.1 trillion in 2022 to N12.5 trillion in 2023. The budget office, says while total revenue was up by 76 per cent, oil revenue rose by a whopping 200 per cent from N0.8 trillion in 2022 to N2.4 trillion in 2023, contributing 19.2% to total revenue. The remarkable increase in oil revenue is attributed largely to higher crude oil production, which increased from an av...
Nov 18, 2024•1 min
Qatar has suspended its work as a mediator in ceasefire and hostage release talks between Israel and Hamas The country says it would resume its work when Hamas and Israel show their willingness to negotiate. It comes after senior US officials reportedly says Washington would no longer accept the presence of Hamas representatives in Qatar, accusing the Palestinian group of rejecting fresh proposals for an end to the war in Gaza. Qatar says initial reports from withdrawn from mediation talks are i...
Nov 12, 2024•1 min
Botswana’s new president says that he wants undocumented Zimbabweans to be legalised by granting them temporary work and residence permits. Botswana hosts the world’s second-largest community of Zimbabweans fleeing their country’s economic woes - and they are often resented, with deportations taking place daily. President Boko says it was a challenge when thousands of Zimbabweans entered Botswana through the long and porous border between the two countries. Become a supporter of this podcast: ht...
Nov 12, 2024•53 sec
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered what he called total support for Africa, including in the struggle against terrorism and extremism. Several African governments have cut ties with traditional Western allies and are looking to Moscow for help in tackling frequent attacks by jihadists. Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré says Russia was a more suitable international partner than the former colonial power, France. He says that as well as military cooperation, Mali...
Nov 12, 2024•1 min
A member of the National Assembly, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has expressed confidence that the controversial tax reform bills presented by President Bola Tinubu will be passed into law. The Senator representing Borno South in the National Assembly, Senator Ali Ndume, had said that the bills are dead on arrival insisting that the bills are not dead on arrival, saying that the North is not against the bill. Jibrin says Nigerians will be able to see all the clauses in detail and everything included in the...
Nov 12, 2024•55 sec
The Nigeria Labour Congress has directed its members in states that have yet to implement the new minimum wage to go on an indefinite strike beginning on December 1, 2024. The National Executive Council says the outright refusal by the governments to implement the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act is a betrayal in the face of both legality and morality. The NEC however resolves to set up a National Minimum Wage Implementation Committee that will commence a nationwide assessment, mobilization and se...
Nov 12, 2024•1 min
The UN Security Council has voted unanimously to expand its arms embargo in Haiti because of grave concerns over extremely high levels of gang violence. The embargo will extend to all types of arms and ammunition in the Caribbean country, which faces multiple challenges. The resolution authorises the 193 UN member nations to take “appropriate steps to prevent the illicit trafficking and diversion of arms and related materiel in Haiti”. The resolution also extends a travel ban and asset freeze on...
Oct 21, 2024•53 sec
Egypt has been certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) - an achievement hailed by the UN public health agency as truly historic. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history. Egyptian authorities launched their first efforts to stamp out the deadly mosquito-borne infectious disease nearly 100 years. Certification is granted when a country proves that the transmis...
Oct 21, 2024•1 min
Nigeria’s telecommunications sector has again strongly rejected the Federal Government’s attempt to reintroduce a 5 per cent excise duty on telecommunications services. Stakeholders described the move as insensitive to the current economic climate and the financial struggles faced by consumers. The excise duty structure in the bill indicates that telecom services, including postpaid and prepaid services regulated by the Nigerian Communications Commission, will attract a five per cent duty. The p...
Oct 21, 2024•1 min
The Transmission Company of Nigeria has promised a backup or buffer system to ensure that Nigerians won’t be thrown into blackout whenever the national grid collapses. TCN Managing Director, Sule Abdulaziz, blamed aged infrastructure as old as 50 years for the frequent grid collapses in the country. Abdulaziz says they are trying to upgrade all transmission lines adding that though the government might not have enough money for the project, the TCN has been working in partnership with private co...
Oct 21, 2024•52 sec
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused North Korea of sending not only weapons but also soldiers to help Russia in its war against Ukraine. He says Ukraine and its allies needed to evolve their response in light of Russia’s deepening alliances and reiterated his call for increased military support to prevent a bigger war. He says the front line needs more support. He says Ukraine needs greater long-range capabilities and more decisive supplies for forces not just a list of military ...
Oct 17, 2024•53 sec
The Federal Government is working to reverse Nigeria’s growing unemployment rate. Vice-President Kashim Shettima says that the current administration is committed to empowering Nigerians with globally competitive skills which would enable them excel anywhere in the world. He says the unemployment rates, the growing informal sector, and low labour force participation must be reversed. He says the unveiling of a blueprint for Narawa’s human capital challenges reaffirms the administration’s commitm...
Oct 17, 2024•56 sec
The Federal Government has proposed introducing a tax payment option that enables individuals to pay their taxes in instalments. It introduced this in the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, recently submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval. Our correspondent obtained a copy of the draft on Sunday. The government also proposed the creation of a special account by the Accountant-General of the Federation for tax refunds. The government instituted a comprehensive set of fresh tax refor...
Oct 17, 2024•1 min
The United Nations Children’s Fund has partnered with Jigawa State and 14 other Nigerian states to domesticate the Safe School Policy, amid increasing concerns over the safety of educational institutions in the country. The Education Specialist at UNICEF’s Kano Field Office, Mr. Muttaka Muktar, highlighted the alarming number of school closures due to security challenges. He says non-state actors have destroyed more than 910 schools, and at least 1,500 have been forced to close down across Niger...
Oct 17, 2024•1 min
International bilateral electricity customers in Benin Republic and Togo owe Nigeria $5.79m for the energy consumed in the second quarter of 2024. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission says out of the $15.60m invoice issued by the market operator between April and June, the international customers remitted $9.81m. The foreign companies off-taking power from Nigeria are Para-SBEE in Benin Republic ($1.23m), Transcorp-SBEE in Benin, Mainstream-NIGELEC in Togo ($1.09m), and Odukpani-CEET i...
Oct 17, 2024•1 min
President Joe Biden visited the Tampa area of Florida on Sunday to conduct an aerial tour of the destruction caused by Hurricane Milton, the second major storm to hit the area in as many weeks. Biden pledged more than $500m (£380m) to help restore the state's damaged electrical grid. Biden thanked first responders and other local officials for their effort while offering his empathy to residents whom he said he knows are "heartbroken and exhausted". The president's pledge to provide over half a ...
Oct 14, 2024•1 min
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a halt on arms deliveries to Israel which has been bombing Gaza for a year now, and recently launched a military operation against Lebanon. While France is not a leading weapons provider for Israel, its voice as a key player in the European Union and as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council carries significant influence amid international efforts to reach a political solution to the conflict in Gaza. The United Kingdom also anno...
Oct 07, 2024•1 min
The World Health Organization has approved the first diagnostic test for Mpox where the results can be immediately known, saying it could prove pivotal in helping to stop the rising global cases of the deadly virus. The new PCR test enables the detection of the Mpox DNA taken from skin lesion swabs. The WHO says of the more than 30,000 suspected cases reported in Africa this year, barely 40% had been confirmed through a test. Yukiko Nakatani, the WHO's assistant director-general, described the n...
Oct 07, 2024•58 sec
Rwanda says it will begin vaccine trials for the fatal Marburg virus, which has already killed at least 12 people in the country - most of them health workers. The East African country has received 700 vaccine doses from the Sabin Vaccine Institute, a US-based non-profit organisation. Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana says those most at risk, like doctors, and those who have come in contact with Marburg patients, will be the initial target for the vaccine. Nsanzimana says people should not worry ...
Oct 07, 2024•1 min
