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(Nigeria) Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and 24  concerned Nigerians have sued the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja over “the arbitrary use of the NBC Act and broadcasting code to target, harass, sanction, and fine independent television and radio stations in Nigeria, and to restrict Nigerians’ freedom of expression and access to information.” SERAP is asking the ECOWAS Court to declare “illegal and contrary to Nigeria’s international human rights obligations the provisions of the NBC Act and broadcasting code frequently apply by the Federal Government and NBC to target, harass, intimidate, and impose sanctions on independent television and radio stations in the country.” The suit is coming in the wake of the “‘bridge [breach] letter’ by the NBC asking Channels TV to explain why it interviewed the spokesman of a proscribed organisation; the ban on Jay FM 10

(Nigeria) Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, has joined the rest of the world to mark World Malaria Day being observed on April 25 of every year, as it called for urgent need for the Federal Government to develop a strong political will towards eliminating malaria in the country. NAWAOJ in a statement on Sunday by its National President, Ladi Bala and National Secretary, Helen Udofa, said, “According to the 2019 World Malaria Report, Nigeria had the highest number of global malaria cases (25% of global malaria cases) in 2018 and accounted for the highest number of deaths (24% of global malaria deaths). “This alarming figure is unacceptable and stresses that with this year’s theme: "Zero Malaria, Draw the Line Against Malaria" is an indication that malaria is preventable, therefore every malaria death is unacceptable. “It notes that as a country that bears the brunt of malaria burden, Nigeria should therefore be leading the cause to stamp out malaria by 203

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan (Nigeria) President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has called for more trade between African countries to further enhance their economic Independence as a continent. Lawan made the call when the Namibian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Humphry Geiseb paid him a courtesy visit on Wednesday in Abuja. The Senate President said, "we need to increase our level of trade because this is what will make us more independent. "Once we are able to achieve a reasonable level of economic independence we can take major decisions as a continent when it comes to bilateral and even multilateral issues. "Africa is challenged in so many ways. Our development levels vary of course but what is required of us is to ensure that we trade more between our countries.   "The establishment of African Continental Free Trade Agreement, AfCTA, is a welcome idea to us in Africa. "It expands the frontiers of trade and infact investment in Africa and it is

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN (Nigeria) The integration of artisanal and modular refinery operators into mainstream oil and gas sector promotes the inclusion of more local content in the industry and advance the use of home-grown technology in the refining of petroleum products, says Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN. Osinbajo stated this on Tuesday, in an address delivered virtually at a National Summit on the Integration of Artisanal and Modular Refinery Operations in Nigeria. He said, “We are confident that the integration of artisanal and modular refinery operations into the oil and gas sector will not only promote the inclusion of more local content in the industry, it will advance the use of home-grown technology in the refining of petroleum products and also curtail illegal oil activities in the Niger Delta regions.” It will be recalled that following Mr President’s directive, Vice President Osinbajo in 2016 embarked on a tour of oil-producing communities in the Niger

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has awarded a grant of $320, 535 to the West African Monetary Agency to mainstream gender in ECOWAS’ core digital financial services (DFS) regulatory frameworks. The funds will support a gender gap analysis of several WAMA strategies including those for financial inclusion; gender disaggregation data analytics; digital payment services and infrastructure; and digital identity.   The project, to be executed over a three year period, will potentially affect 350 million people in all 15 ECOWAS nations:   Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The grant will be disbursed through the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility, a blended finance vehicle, supported by the Bank. “With a secretariat comprising all the 15 ECOWAS central banks, WAMA plays a pivotal role in the consolidation and implementation o

The Netherlands Ministry for Trade and Development Cooperation is extending a €6 million grant to the African Legal Support Facility, ALSF, to support the ALSF’s work providing legal and technical services to low-income countries to give them more clout in commercial dealings. The funding will be disbursed over a three-year period. ALSF Director Stephen Karangizi thanked the Netherlands, a shareholder of the African Development Bank, for its strong support over the years. “The assistance will help the ALSF to better respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and help countries to recover much faster to enhance sustainable, inclusive development in Africa,” he said. Since 2013, the Netherlands has cumulatively provided €15.5 million to the ALSF to ensure that African countries achieve maximum economic value for their resources. The funds provided by the Netherlands enabled the ALSF to successfully assist many African governments to strengthen their legal expertise and negotiating capa

*Nigerian senate (Nigeria) The Senate has urged the Federal Government to immediately review the ECOWAS protocol of free movement as a way to checkmate the infiltration of criminal elements into the country. The call on the Buhari-led administration was made amidst resolutions reached by the upper chamber after an exhaustive debate on a motion on the General Insecurity in Nigeria. Sponsor of the motion, Senator Robert Ajayi Boroffice (APC – Ondo North), noted with sadness reports of killings, and kidnappings in Ondo State, Edo State, Oyo State, Imo State, Kaduna State, Zamfara   State, Niger State, Nasuawa State, Kebbi State and in other parts of the Country. “Aware of reports of kidnappings and killings in Ibarapa axis and other parts of Oyo State consequent upon which eviction notice was given to Fulani herdmen on January 16, 2021, sequent to which houses and cars belonging to Fulani herdsmen Were burnt in Igangan, Ibarapa North LGA of Oyo State. “Aware that in January, 2021,

*Left to Right: Chief Willy Ezugwu, Secretary General of CNPP and Dr Adama Barrow, President of The Gambia on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the President. (Nigeria) The Secretary-General of Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, Chief Willy Ezugwu on Tuesday visited the Gambian President, Dr Adama Barrow. He also described country’s newly launched party, the National People's Party,   NPP, as well positioned to deliver on democratic dividends, describing the NPP administrative Secretary, Mr Ma-Magic Nijie, as a great asset for the new party. In a statement in Banjul, the Gambian capital, Chief Ezugwu, who is in The Gambia on the invitation of the party, said “the President, as the leader and Secretary General of the new party, has shown from the large crowd of delegates and supporters that gathered at the Independence Stadium in Bakau for the launch that he has good followers in the country. “But I believe that The Gambian citizens should sustain their support fo

*African Development Bank, AfDB African Development Bank, AfDB,  and the European Investment Bank (EIB) today signed a joint partnership action plan highlighting there strengthened cooperation and mutual development priorities and a strong shared emphasis on boosting public and private sector investment in Africa. The Joint Action Plan enables both institutions to grow a shared pipeline of bankable projects around key complementary themes to which each institution would bring their comparative advantage. These themes are: climate action and environmental sustainability; transformative large-scale quality infrastructure investment; Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and services; financial inclusion with a gender lens aimed at the empowerment of girls and women; education and training; and the health sector. The signing comes amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which is increasing poverty across the African continent and threatening markets and livelihood

African Development Bank Monday announced the addition of two new countries - Mauritius and Morocco - to its Bloomberg African Bond Indices, ABABI, marking a steady progress in the Bank’s efforts to deepen the continent’s local currency bond market. The African Development Bank administers the ABABI, a family of African bond indices launched in February 2015 and calculated by the independent, global index provider Bloomberg. At the launch, the indices included Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Botswana and Namibia joined in October 2015, and Ghana and Zambia in April 2017. Effective 1 January 2021, Mauritius and Morocco have become members of the ABABI, the Bank said. “This is a positive development as the inclusion of Mauritius and Morocco, two of Africa’s better-rated issuers, will improve the overall credit quality of the ABABI, which now captures close to 90% of the outstanding amount of African sovereign local currency bonds,” said Stefan Nalletamby, Director of the B

*Yoweri Museveni A stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in Oyo State,  Olayinka Segelu, has said that the just concluded presidential election in Uganda was heavily manipulated in favour of the incumbent President, Yoweri Museveni. Describing the election as the most fraudulent in the history of Africa, Hon. Segelu noted that it is sad that a 77-year-old man, who has spent over 35 years in office, would so brutally deploy all his arsenals against a 38-year-old singer turned parliamentarian in a presidential contest.   Segelu, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of YSEG Hotels and Suites in Ibadan, who is equally a young politician, wondered why African leaders have wickedly decided not to give youths a chance in the affairs of governance on the Continent. The former Personal Assistant (PA) to ex-Speaker Dimeji Bankole said: “I am a very strong supporter of Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine, the 38

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN  on behalf President Buhari delivers remarks at the Virtual Press Launch of the UNCTAD Publication on Economic Development in Africa entitled: Tackling Illicit Financial Flows for Sustainable Development in Africa on Monday. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN has called for an overhaul of the international tax system in order to tackle the scourge, for an effective global action against Illicit Financial Flows, IFF, and related vices, which is negatively impacting progress in developing countries especially in Africa. The Vice President made the call on Monday at the virtual press launch of a publication by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, on the impact of illicit financial flows (IFFs) on African Development. According to Prof. Osinbajo, “the enormity of efforts required to tackle illicit financial flows is evident in the many dimensions the scourge presents itself. It manifests through harmful tax policies and practic

Goodluck Jonathan (Nigeria) Former President Goodluck Jonathan, has proposed a grading system for elections within Commonwealth member-nations as a means of improving the quality of elections, promoting democracy and strengthening institutions. The former President who is the Chairman of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation advised the 53-member nation body to develop what he called a ‘democracy marker’ which is a benchmarking system of election reporting to serve as a scoring formula for measuring compliance to identified democracy standards within the Commonwealth. He stated this at a special virtual High Level panel which focused on 40 years of Commonwealth’s election observation experience. He said: "I associate myself with the efforts to improve Commonwealth election observer experience in line with the Revised Commonwealth Guidelines for the Conduct of Election Observation in Member Countries. "As in any human experience, we can always seek to further strengthen the e

*Femi Falana (Nigeria) Human rights lawyer and SAN, Mr Femi Falana has petitioned the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, The Gambia over the death sentence on Kano singer Sharif Yahya Sharif. Falana is asking the Commission to exercise its mandates and authority under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and pursuant to the commission’s order 100(1) of the commission’s Rules of Procedure, 2020. Falana in the petition dated 8 September, 2020, states: “I am writing to you on behalf of Sharif Yahya Sharif to ask the Commission to consider this request for provisional measures. The request is submitted in conjunction with our communication on behalf of Sharif Yahya Sharif convicted and sentenced to death for blasphemy in Kano State of Nigeria.” The petition, reads in part: “Our communication details multiple violations of his right to life and fair trial rights guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and resolutions on mo

(Nigeria) The leading pan-African banking group, Ecobank has announced that it has won the Award for Innovation in Financial Services at the 2020 edition of the prestigious African Banker magazine Awards. The Awards, which reward banking excellence in Africa, were announced at a virtual ceremony held on August 26, 2020. The African Banker’s judging process sought to recognise the African banks that have demonstrated original and practical uses of technology to provide customer convenience, improved and more affordable services and greater access to the financial services sector in Africa. Ade Ayeyemi, Group Chief Executive Officer said: “Winning the Award for Innovation in Financial Services from the African Banker magazine is such an honour. It provides public recognition of our pioneering role in harnessing technology to complement our pan-African presence and partnerships, to deliver accessible, convenient, affordable and innovative banking products which are making a difference

(Nigeria) FIFA is joining forces with the African Union, the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the Confederation of African Football, CAF, to jointly address the issue of domestic violence by launching the #SafeHome campaign across the African continent. The initiative is designed to support women and children victims of domestic violence, particularly as stay-at-home measures in response to COVID-19 have put them at greater risk. A number of African football stars are supporting the campaign via video awareness messages distributed on social and traditional media. The African Union-FIFA-CAF memorandum of understanding, which was concluded in February 2019, covers joint campaigns on topics of mutual interest and the promotion of gender equality, a key principle. Other areas of collaboration include education through football, sports integrity and safety and security at football matches. “I am glad that today we can launch this campaign on the important topic of domestic violenc

Convener/Initiator African Speakers Debt Cancellation Campaign Initiatives (DCCI) & COSAP, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives in his office during a virtual meeting with some African Speakers and heads of parliament on the need to push for continent’s external debt cancellation on  Monday. (Nigeria) Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila on Monday convened a  meeting of some African Speakers of Parliaments where it was agreed that there is an urgent need to push for debt cancellation for the continent from their multilateral and bilateral partners. This is as Gbajabiamila’s initiative to establish the Conference of African Speakers and Heads of Parliament (CoSAP), a body that will facilitate increased collaboration between Speakers, Heads of Parliament and National Assemblies across Africa got a boost. The African Speakers will also seek to advance the African development agenda within and outside the continent in conjunction w