Category: African Development - Page 3

Guinea To Move To Civilian Rule In Three Years

1May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

African Development, Armed Forces, Elections, Guinea, News

Guinea To Move To Civilian Rule In Three Years

The military leader of Guinea, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, announced a 39 month transition period before the country returns to civilian rule. Speaking on television, Col Mamady Doumbouya, said the proposal would now be put to Guinea's parliament. His army ousted the elected president in a coup last year - a move many Guineans initially welcomed. But there has been growing discontent as the military junta failed to hand over power to civilian rule. The announcement came after the regional bloc of West African nations, ECOWAS, set last Monday as a deadline for the army to give its timeline - or face immediate sanctions. The deadline was missed but the junta asked for more time and said it was considering a transition period of between 18 and 52 months. On Saturday, Col Doum...

Chinese Businessman Jailed 20 years in Rwanda For Torturing Local Mineworkers

22Apr

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

African Development, Human Rights, Justice, News, Rwanda, Violence

Chinese Businessman Jailed 20 years in Rwanda For Torturing Local Mineworkers

A court in Rwanda has jailed a Chinese national for 20 years for torturing local mineworkers after a video showing him whipping a man tied to a post went viral on social media. Sun Shujun, the manager of a mine in the west of the country, was convicted on Tuesday along with an accomplice following his arrest last September. “It is clear that (Sun) tortured the victims and issued corporal punishment with malicious intent, and this is a grave crime,” Judge Jacques Kanyarukiga ruled, ordering him to serve a 20-year term in prison. Sun, who was in court for the verdict, acknowledged assaulting two workers, saying he beat them because he was “frustrated and fed up of them constantly stealing minerals”. The 43-year-old had argued for his release, saying he compensated the two by pay...

‘Sole Legal Tender is Cedi’ Ghana Bans Spending in Foreign Currencies

11Apr

By Guest ContributorNo Comments

African Development, Economy, Ghana, News, Trade

‘Sole Legal Tender is Cedi’ Ghana Bans Spending in Foreign Currencies

The Ghanaian government has banned spending and transaction of businesses in foreign currencies in the country. The Central Bank of Ghana, which disclosed this in a statement Thursday, warned citizens and companies to stop transacting business, pricing goods and services and advertising in foreign currencies. According to the country’s apex bank, it is illegal for individuals, companies, institutions, and others to engage in foreign exchange business without an appropriate licence from the regulator. Dr. Ernest Addison Governor Bank of Ghana “Engaging in foreign exchange business without a licence issued by Bank of Ghana; or pricing, advertising, receipting or making payments for goods and services in foreign currency in Ghana, without written authorisation from Bank of G...

Zimbabwean Killed as Protest Rocks South Africa

8Apr

By Guest ContributorNo Comments

African Development, Human Rights, Law Enforcement, News, Safety, Security, South Africa, Violence, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean Killed as Protest Rocks South Africa

A Zimbabwean man has been killed as irate protesters took to the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa to clamour for an end to violence and crime. This was contained in a statement issued by South African police on Thursday. According to the public channel SABC and another media, the victim is a Zimbabwean immigrant. The murder comes amid growing popular anger over high crime rates, sometimes directed at immigrants accused of fuelling them. Protests began Wednesday in the township of Diepsloot, after it was announced that seven people had been killed there last weekend. Protesters in South Africa Residents angry at the police for allegedly refusing to attend to one crime scene marched through the streets with chants and placards, burning tires and camping outside the local...

Blacks in Ukraine Being Prevented from Fleeing the Country

27Feb

By adminNo Comments

Africa, African Development, Human Rights, Justice, News, Safety, Security, United Nations, Videos, Youths

Blacks in Ukraine Being Prevented from Fleeing the Country

Blacks Trying to Leave Ukraine Blacks in Ukraine are calling out for help, alleging that they are being prevented from fleeing the country. It's no longer news that Russia has invaded parts of Ukraine and that people are fleeing the now threatened country. What may however be news to some is that blacks may be the victims of marginalization and even ill-treatment as people try to flee. It's on record that blacks, especially Africans, make up about 20% of the Ukrainian International students' populations. With the conflict now erupting, they like many others are trying to leave the country. With many African countries not showing much by way of commitment to its citizens in the now waring country, these international students are forced to fend for themselves. See Also: Fede...

Opinion: Attrition of Southern Nigeria Professionals and the Aftermath by P Omonua

25Oct

By Guest ContributorNo Comments

African Development, Justice, News, Nigeria

Opinion: Attrition of Southern Nigeria Professionals and the Aftermath by P Omonua

It is no longer news that there is an unprecedented upsurge in the migration of southern Nigeria professionals over the last 5 years. The best brains in the Southern Nigeria are leaving in droves. Many of those that have not left are making all necessary arrangements; they are making enquiries about the process involved from those that have succeeded in leaving. Some people may argue this is not uniquely Nigerian, that universally, people have always migrated around the world. A friend of mine once compared our experience to the Biblical era. He said even Moses led the children of Israel during their migration from Egypt to the promise land, which is incontrovertible. The difference, (which I did not bother to tell him due to his obstinacy) is that the children of Israel were migra...

Lessons to be Learnt from the Recent Attack on IrokoTV

21Jun

By adminNo Comments

African Development, Biafra, News, Nigeria

Lessons to be Learnt from the Recent Attack on IrokoTV

So I just learnt that there was an attack on IrokoTv App in the form of attempts to have it delisted on both Google Playstore and iOS store. This move by some in the North was in "retaliation" for the delisting of Adamu Garba's Crowwe from Google Play Store. Last I checked, retaliation meant "to hurt someone or do something harmful to someone because they have done or said something harmful to you". Based on the definition above, I fail to see how a mass action by the North to have IrokoTV app delisted by Google and Apple because Crowwe was delisted can be called retaliation. Was it Jason Njoku (owner of IrokoTV) that delisted Crowwe? Interestingly, it was the people he made fun of some years ago that came to his rescue. Ndi Igbo and the rest of Southern Nigeria galvanized into a...

Construction of East-West Road to Cost N1trn Says Akpabio

12Nov

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

African Development, Infrastructure, News, Nigeria

Construction of East-West Road to Cost N1trn Says Akpabio

Senator Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs has said that the construction of the East-West road would cost N1 trillion. He restated the determination of the ministry to prioritise safety, efficiency and economic viability of the road as well as ensure return on investment. Akpabio disclosed this at the opening of the remote meeting of counterparts on the complementary programme for the East-West project held on Thursday. This is according to a statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations, MND, Patricia Deworitshe titled, ‘Akpabio inaugurates counterpart team to efficiency manage close to N1trn investment on the East-West road.’ It partly, “The Honourable Minister, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has reiterated the resolv...

Okonjo-Iweala Makes Final Two in WTO Race

8Oct

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Africa, African Development, Finance, News, Nigeria, Women Empowerment

Okonjo-Iweala Makes Final Two in WTO Race

Former Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has made it to the final stage of the race to the office of the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Mrs. Iweala made the final cut with South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee, Bloomberg reports. Okonjo-Iweala has experience working at international governance bodies as a former managing director of the World Bank and as a chairman at the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation. Yoo is South Korea’s trade minister. During her 25-year career in government, she has helped expand her country’s trade network through bilateral accords with the U.S., China and the U.K. WTO General Council Chairman David Walker will formally announce the results to the institution’s delegates today in Geneva. United Kingdom’s Li...

7Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Africa, African Development, Breaking News, News

Update: ECOWAS Elects New Chairman

President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo has emerged as the new Chairman of the Economic Committee of West African States (ECOWAS), at the ongoing 57th ECOWAS Summit in Niamey, Republic of Niger. President Addo replaces Muhamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic and becomes the 35th president of ECOWAS.