General
Groups Partner on Gender-Responsive Economic Empowerment
By Ahmed Rahma
The Africa Skills Hub, a youth employment organisation and business incubator in Ghana, has partnered with Canada World Youth (CWY) with support from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to implement the Women’s Entrepreneurship and Livelihoods Initiative (WELI).
The WELI project addresses challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic through an innovative youth-centred and gender-responsive economic empowerment approach.
Speaking on the partnership, the Executive Director at Africa Skills Hub, Daniel Antwi said, “COVID-19 has threatened the survival of many women businesses, there is still much hope in building back better.
“There is recovery ahead, and whilst Covid may have disrupted so many things it has however also provided enormous alternative opportunities to diversify and do gender-responsive programming in a new way,” he said.
The project directly reflects CWY-JCM’s commitment towards SDG 5 (Gender Equality and Empowerment) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
The innovative strategies are to tackle topics such as gender equality and sexual and gender-based violence.
Additionally, the organisations have disclosed that they will expedite training and learning to improve the productive capacities of adolescent girls and young women and position them to contribute towards rebuilding and strengthening the economy since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
Over the years, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have played a critical role in Africa’s socio-economic development by producing critical goods and services, creating jobs, helping to reduce poverty, and promoting economic growth.
The MSME sector has also provided women and youth opportunities to harness their economic potential. It is estimated by the World Bank that about one third of all MSMEs in Africa are owned by women.
The overall outcome of WELI is to increase economic empowerment to strengthen resilience for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) most affected by COVID-19 in targeted areas in Ghana and Senegal.
Africa Skills Hub has officially begun various activities in Ghana and Senegal.
In Ghana, the project is in two peri-urban councils in Sagnarigu district, Northern region; and in a rural setting in Afadzato South, Volta region but will also have various nationwide and local advocacy outreach.
In Senegal, the WELI project is expected to focus its work in Thies Region.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The United States government gave some terrorists in Nigeria a Christmas gift that sent many of them to the great beyond.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, directed his country’s military to launch air strikes on camps of members of the dreaded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sokoto State.
According to Mr Trump, the military action, which he threatened to carry out a few weeks ago if the Nigerian government does not stop the killing of Christians in the country, occurred on Thursday night.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of War of the United States posted the below video of the air strikes;
https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.
Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”
“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.
“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The new chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has assumed office with a clear message to advance the country’s upstream oil and gas sector in line with the mandate of the commission as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
According to a statement signed by Mr Eniola Akinkuotu, the Head of Media & Strategic Communications at the upstream regulator, the NUPRC boss made this assertation during her first town hall meeting with management and staff on Tuesday December 23, 2025.
She further disclosed plans to make the commission a business enabler and re-ignite investments in the upstream sector.
Recall that President Tinubu nominated Mrs Eyesan to take over the NUPRC after the abrupt resignation of her predecessor, Mr Gbenga Komolafe as well as his counterpart in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed.
In her new capacity, Mrs Eyesan also set a firm production ambition of growing Nigeria’s output and increasing gas production.
“The goal is that we must enable the industry, we are regulators. We must enable the industry from our interactions with the stakeholders, from our interactions with everybody.
“My main objective is to ensure that we make a difference. I believe the NUPRC is at the Center of the industry,” she said.
The commission boss who has served for over three decades in the oil and gas sector, promised to entrench digitisation, transparency and efficiency in operations.
The NUPRC head said with the support of staff and management, the NUPRC will become the gold-standard regulator in Africa. She also promised capacity development, stronger technical depth and sustained engagement with stakeholders, unions and professional teams.
On leadership style, Mrs Eyesan promised an open-door policy and frequent staff engagement, while also soliciting for support and cooperation as the industry embarks on the next phase of transformation.
“If we work together we can unleash opportunities, I don’t see impediments only opportunities,” she added.
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