World
China, Sierra Leone Deepen Ties
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
On December 1, 2016, President Xi Jinping of China held talks at the Great Hall of the People with President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone.
At the meeting, the two leaders decided to upgrade China-Sierra Leone relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and take the implementation of outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) as an opportunity to comprehensively expand and deepen bilateral friendly as well as mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, so as to better benefit the two peoples.
Xi Jinping pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries 45 years ago, both sides have shared mutual respect, equality, mutual trust, mutual benefit and win-win results as well as understood and supported each other on issues concerning respective core interests and major concerns.
Having withstood the test of times and international vicissitudes, bilateral relationship remains unshakable and becomes even firmer as time goes by. Both sides should consolidate political mutual trust and safeguard common interests, he said.
According to the Chinese leader, his country is willing to enhance personnel exchanges with Sierra Leone in various fields including government, political party, legislative institution, army and local government.
He stressed that both sides should deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and promote common development, adding that China encourages domestic enterprises and financial institutions to actively engage in infrastructure building and mineral exploitation in Sierra Leone for mutually beneficial cooperation so as to promote Sierra Leone’s industrialization and sustainable self-development, as well as stands ready to support the country to develop agriculture and improve its capability of ensuring food safety.
He noted that the two sides should strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges as well as mutual friendship, adding that China is willing to enhance communication and cooperation with Sierra Leone in such areas as culture, education, health, tourism, media, think tank, youth and women, actively carry out joint study on diseases, and support the country to strengthen the building of its public health system and capacity in the area.
He emphasised that both sides also need to strengthen international cooperation and coordination to maintain unity in Africa.
China is ready to reinforce communication and coordination with Sierra Leone in UN affairs, climate change, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, African peace and security and other major international and regional issues to jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, he submitted.
Xi Jinping stressed that China is delighted to see Africa’s self-enhancement through unity and the rapid development of its integration process. China will adhere to its Africa policy featuring sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith and the correct viewpoint of righteousness and benefit, comprehensively implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit and closely combine its own development with assisting Africa’s sustainable self-development, so as to achieve win-win cooperation and common development.
In his remarks, Ernest Bai Koroma expressed that China is a true and trustworthy friend of Sierra Leone, maintaining that China took the lead in the international community to aid Sierra Leone during the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in 2014 when it needed help the most.
According to him, he would like to express sincere thanks to President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and people, saying the people of Sierra Leone can deeply feel the friendship of the Chinese people.
Sierra Leone firmly upholds the one-China policy and admires China’s development outcomes. The country stands ready to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields and well implement the 10 major cooperation plans proposed by President Xi Jinping at the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit, so as to push bilateral and Africa-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnerships for continuous and in-depth development. Sierra Leone is willing to intensify communication and cooperation in international affairs and enhance mutual support with China, he said.
After the talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents covering diplomacy, economy, infrastructure construction, health and other areas.
Before the talks, President Xi Jinping held a welcoming ceremony for Ernest Bai Koroma at North Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Arken Imirbaki, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Li Haifeng and others were present.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
For transforming cross-border payments through its deployment with Global Money Exchange, Comviva has been named Best In-Class Cross Border Payments.
The global leader in digital transformation solutions clinched this latest accolade at the IBS Intelligence Global FinTech Innovation Award 2025.
The recognition highlights how Comviva’s mobiquity Pay is helping shape a modern cross-border payment ecosystem that stretches far beyond conventional remittance services.
Deployed as a white label Wallet Platform and launched as Global Pay Oman App, it fulfils GMEC’s dual vision—positioning itself as an innovative payment service provider while digitally extending its core money transfer business.
The solution allows GMEC to offer international money transfers alongside seamless forex ordering and other services. These capabilities sit alongside a broad suite of everyday financial services, including bill and utility payments, merchant transactions, education-related payments, and other digital conveniences — all delivered through one unified experience.
“This award is a testament to Oman’s accelerating digital transformation and our commitment to reshaping how cross-border payments serve people and businesses across the Sultanate.
“By partnering with Comviva and bringing the Global Pay Oman Super App, we have moved beyond traditional remittance services to create a truly inclusive and future-ready financial ecosystem.
“This innovation is not only enhancing convenience and transparency for our customers but is also supporting Oman’s broader vision of building a digitally empowered economy,” the Managing Director at Global Money Exchange, Subromoniyan K.S, said.
Also commenting, the chief executive of Comviva, Mr Rajesh Chandiramani, said, “Cross-border payments are becoming a daily necessity, not a niche service, particularly for migrant and trade-linked economies.
“This recognition from IBS Intelligence validates our focus on building payment platforms that combine global reach with local relevance, operational resilience and a strong user experience. The deployment with Global Money Exchange Co. demonstrates how mobiquity® Pay enables financial institutions to move beyond remittances and deliver integrated digital services at scale.”
“The deployment of mobiquity Pay for GMEC showcases how scalable, API-driven digital wallet platforms can transform cross-border payments into seamless, value-rich experiences.
“By integrating remittances, bill payments, forex services, and AI-powered engagement into a unified Super App, Comviva has reimagined customer journeys and operational agility.
“This Best-in-Class Cross-border Payments award win stands as a testament to Comviva’s excellence in enabling financial institutions to compete and grow in a digitally convergent world,” the Director for Research and Digital Properties at IBS Intelligence, Nikhil Gokhale, said.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
At the end of an extensive consultation with African foreign ministers, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has emphasized that Moscow would advance its economic engagement across Africa, admittedly outlining obstacles delaying the prompt implementation of several initiatives set forth in Strategic Action Plan (2023-2026) approved in St. Petersburg during the Russia-Africa Summit.
The second Ministerial Conference, by the Russian Foreign Ministry with support from Roscongress Foundation and the Arab Republic of Egypt, marked an important milestone towards raising bilateral investment and economic cooperation.
In Cairo, the capital city of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Lavrov read out the final resolution script, in a full-packed conference hall, and voiced strong confidence that Moscow would achieve its strategic economic goals with Africa, with support from the African Union (AU) and other Regional Economic blocs in the subsequent years. Despite the complexities posed by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, combined with geopolitical conditions inside the African continent, Moscow however reiterated its position to take serious steps in finding pragmatic prospects for mutual cooperation and improve multifaceted relations with Africa, distinctively in the different sectors: in trade, economic and investment spheres, education and culture, humanitarian and other promising areas.
The main event was the plenary session co-chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptians Abroad Bashar Abdelathi. Welcome messages from Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdelhak Sisi were read.
And broadly, the meeting participants compared notes on the most pressing issues on the international and Russian-African agendas, with a focus on the full implementation of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan for 2023-2026, approved at the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in 2023.
In addition, on the sidelines of the conference, Lavrov held talks with his African counterparts, and a number of bilateral documents were signed. A thematic event was held with the participation of Russian and African relevant agencies and organizations, aimed at unlocking the potential of trilateral Russia-Egypt-Africa cooperation in trade, economic, and educational spheres.
With changing times, Africa is rapidly becoming one of the key centers of a multipolar world order. It is experiencing a second awakening. Following their long-ago political independence, African countries are increasingly insisting on respect for their sovereignty and their right to independently manage their resources and destiny. Based on these conditions, it was concluded that Moscow begins an effective and comprehensive work on preparing a new three-year Cooperation and Joint Action Plan between Russia and Africa.
Moreover, these important areas of joint practical work are already detailed in the Joint Statement, which was unanimously approved and will serve as an important guideline for future work. According to reports, the Joint Statement reflects the progress of discussions on international and regional issues, as well as matters of global significance.
Following the conference, the Joint Statement adopted reflects shared approaches to addressing challenges and a mutual commitment to strengthening multifaceted cooperation with a view to ensuring high-quality preparation for the third Russia-Africa Summit in 2026.
On December 19-20, the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was held in Cairo, Egypt. It was held for the first time on the African continent, attended by heads and representatives of the foreign policy ministries of 52 African states and the executive bodies of eight regional integration associations.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Social media platform, TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with United States and global investors to operate its business in America.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive, Mr Shou Zi Chew.
The deal, which is set to close on January 22, 2026 would end years of efforts by the US government to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
It is in line with a deal unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable “over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community”.
Under the agreement, ByteDance will retain 19.9 per cent of the business, while Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will hold 15 per cent each.
Another 30.1 per cent will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo.
The White House previously said that Oracle, which was co-founded by President Trump’s supporter Larry Ellison, will license TikTok’s recommendation algorithm as part of the deal.
The deal comes after a series of delays.
Business Post reported in April 2024 that the administration of President Joe Biden passed a law to ban the app over national security concerns, unless it was sold.
The law was set to go into effect on January 20, 2025 but was pushed back multiple times by President Trump, while his administration worked out a deal to transfer ownership.
President Trump said in September that he had spoken on the phone to China’s President Xi Jinping, who he said had given the deal the go ahead.
The platform’s future remained unclear after the leaders met face to face in October.
The app’s fate was clouded by ongoing tensions between the two nations on trade and other matters.
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