World
Filipe Nyusi: Using Regional Military Force the Best Way to Enforce Peace and Stability in Africa
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
Top United States officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Chief Lloyd Austin, joined several key leaders from Africa to discuss Peace, Security and Governance issues at the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit.
The Biden administration’s three-day gathering brought leaders from across the African continent to discuss ways to strengthen ties and promote shared priorities with the United States. A total of 49 African heads of state and the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, were guests at this high-level meeting.
The continent’s leaders often feel leading economies have given them short shrift but remain crucial to global powers because of its rapidly growing population, significant natural resources and the sizable voting bloc in the United Nations. The summit aimed at reviving US relations with the African continent, suspended by former President Donald Trump, at a time when China and Russia are advancing their pawns in the region.
Hosting leaders and senior officials in a not-so-subtle pitch to convince guests that the US offers a better option to African partners. “We want to understand what’s what’s really important to you,” said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“We want to make sure that we are doing the things to develop and empower your security forces and help you work on your security architecture in ways that you think benefit you and that certainly will promote regional stability,” he explained.
In his contribution, African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said the United States is providing bilateral support to a number of African countries, including Niger, Mozambique, Somalia and Chad. But, he said, that African armies are still under-equipped. “No one is listening to the cries of Africa when it comes to the extension of this scourge,” he said.
During the discussion, Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, spoke about how the terrorist group, al-Shabaab, controlled large portions of Somalia’s rural areas. “Shabaab, or terrorists anywhere they are, cannot be defeated militarily only,” he said.
At the panel discussions, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi was very outspoken and shared valuable experiences with the audience about the use of well-constituted regional military force for enforcing peace and security in Mozambique.
The Joint Forces of the Southern African Development Community are keeping peace in northern Mozambique. The rules, standards and policies, provision of assistance, as well as the legal instruments and practices, are based on the protocols of building and security stipulated by the African Union. It, therefore, falls within the framework of peace and security requirements of the African Union.
Now, Mozambique has relative peace and stability after the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) finally approved the deployment of a joint military force with the primary responsibility of ensuring peace and stability and for restoring normalcy in the Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique.
He told the panellists that there has been “remarkable progress” as businesses have restarted and displaced people began returning to Cabo Delgado. He, therefore, urged adopting ‘African solutions to African problems’ on peace and security, saying further that in their case, it was, above all, necessary to establish the motivation for terrorism in Mozambique in order to respond to the situation in Cabo Delgado.
The Mozambican president said that the partnership with the forces of SADC and Rwanda was an example that “African problems must first seek solutions within the continent itself,” and it was vital to “educate young people” so that “they might not find in poverty a reason” to join the terrorists.
With authority, he called for more external assistance to improve the capacity of African partners to advance regional stability and security and reduce the threat from terrorist groups across Africa.
At the Peace, Security and Governance Forum, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum, Filipe Nyusi highlighted the support of Rwandan and SADC forces, saying that Mozambique has created an environment where there is the involvement of the region.
According to the US State Department, the US has reaffirmed its strategic partnership for the promotion of peace, stability and global health security across Africa.
Blinken highlighted the impact of the United States strategy to prevent conflict and promote stability as a complement to government and civil society efforts in northern Mozambique.
“We look forward to our collaboration when Mozambique becomes a member of the UN Security Council in January, but we are also strong partners – strong partners to help Mozambique build stability, strong partners to build global health together, addressing food insecurity, and we welcome that partnership. There is much to discuss tonight,” Blinken told Nyusi, quoted on the website.
The Joint Forces of the Southern African Development Community is part of a regional defence pact which allows military intervention to prevent the spread of conflict. That terrorism is a global threat, a problem that requires joint regional collective intervention, he explained.
The rules, standards and policies, provision of assistance, as well as the legal instruments and practices, are based on the protocols of building and security stipulated by the African Union. It, therefore, falls within the framework of peace and security requirements of the African Union.
What is referred to as Islamic attacks and insurgency caused havoc and devastation in Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique. The insurgency began in 2017 and left an unimaginable negative effect on the settlements of the civilian population and on business and industry operations.
The Joint Forces of the Southern African Development Community are keeping peace in northern Mozambique. It involves troops from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community Military Mission (SAMIM). Rwanda offered 1,000 in July 2021. South Africa has the largest contingent of around 1,500 troops. External countries are enormously helping to stabilize the situation in Mozambique. Its former colonizer Portugal and the United States both sent special forces to train local troops.
With an approximate population of 30 million, Mozambique is endowed with rich and extensive natural resources. It is a member of the 16-member regional bloc, which collectively promotes sustainable and socio-economic development, forges deeper cooperation and integration, and ensures good governance as well as peace and security so that the region emerges as a competitive and effective player in the southern region, in Africa and the world.
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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