Okonjo-Iweala, Ruto to Discuss Climate Growth, Investment, Trade Frameworks

By Adedapo Adesanya In an unprecedented response to the devastation caused by the recent earthquake in Morocco, Binance, through its charity arm, has announced plans to airdrop up to $3 million in Binance Coin (BNB) to Binance users identified as living in the areas affected by the tragedy. Last Friday, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Marakkesh in the North African country and has left close to 3,000 dead, with at least 2,500 injured and a host of others missing. In the aftermath of natural disasters, people often lose access to traditional banking at the exact moment when extra funds are

By Adedapo Adesanya A new insight has shown that 20 out of 54 African countries have restricted internet access amid elections since 2015. According to Surfshark’s Internet Shutdown Tracker, over the last eight years, 30 countries and territories in the world have restricted the internet amid elections, affecting 2.3 billion people globally. It found that out of these countries, 20 of them were on the African continent, including the most recent in Zimbabwe and Gabon; both countries held elections in August and restricted internet access. The survey found that out of the 20 countries that have restricted internet during elections since

By Adedapo Adesanya The prices of food globally dropped to 121.4 points in August, 2.1 per cent lower than the 123.5 points from July, reversing the rebound registered last month and pushing the index as much as 38.3 points (24.0 per cent) below its peak reached in March 2022. This is according to the latest figure by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Friday, which showed that the drop reflected declines in the price indices for dairy products, vegetable oils, meat and cereals, while the sugar price index increased moderately. The FAO Cereal Price Index averaged 125.0 points in

By Adedapo Adesanya The Director-General (DG) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the President of Kenya, Mr William Ruto, will hold a discussion on positive climate growth, investment, and trade in Africa tomorrow (Tuesday, September 19). The conversation, hosted by the Africa Center in partnership with Global Citizen, Climate Action Platform Africa (CAP-A), and the Government of Kenya, will take place at The Africa Center at Aliko Dangote Hall in New York City. Speaking on the programme, Mr Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of The Africa Center, said the conversation was coming at a time when Africa is

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Production of Passat by Volkswagen has been halted due to an ongoing battle between the company and one of its suppliers. This problem has affected Volkswagen AG factories in Germany. The supplier, which VW fails to mention, cuts off the automaker as they fight in court and engage in a public war of words about who’s to blame for the impasse. VW stopped Passat production on Thursday and will halt assembly of its best-selling Golf on Monday if the conflict isn’t resolved. Bloomberg said VW has officially said the factories producing those models face slowdowns, as do plants

By Adedapo Adesanya The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced a $13 million investment in the Africa Conservation and Communities Tourism Fund (ACCT Fund) to support the post-pandemic recovery and sustainable growth of sub-Saharan Africa’s ecotourism sector. The investment will support ecotourism businesses in and around conservation areas in East and Southern Africa, with a focus on South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zambia. The ACCT Fund will invest in operators of safari camps, hotels, and lodges, helping them address liquidity shortages while recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund will also help them refurbish, renovate,

By Adedapo Adesanya The barometer for world food commodity prices declined for the fifth consecutive month in August 2022, as quotations for most benchmark items dropped. This is according to a new report released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The closely watched FAO Food Price Index averaged 138.0 points in August, down 1.9 per cent from July although remaining 7.9 per cent above its value a year before. The Index tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of commonly traded food commodities. The FAO Cereal Price Index decreased by 1.4

An oil and gas company based in Ghana, Rigworld, has supported a community in the country for the construction of a place of worship. It was gathered that the church is located in Asuotwene, a community in the Adeiso District of the Eastern Region of the country. The 500-seater capacity building, which is called Trinity Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), was built to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the church which has become a place of reforming members and imbibing good values useful for the community and national development. Rigworld, which was founded in 2011 to provide

By Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi Benikrukru Community field, Gbaramtu kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, the kickoff venue of the Ijaw/Itsekiri peace and unity football competition initiated by Chief Sheriff Mulade, Ibe-sorimawei of Gbaramatu kingdom and National Coordinator/CEO, Centre for Peace & Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), was on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, filled to capacity and moderately dotted with imposing banner conspicuously positioned with screaming but familiar inscriptions that emphasise on the importance of peace and unity to humanity. The ambience at the venue was refreshing as merrily dressed guests strolled in. Community members of Ijaw and Itsekiri origins

By Dipo Olowookere The top English football club, Manchester United, have sacked their manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, after a run of poor results. The club in a statement confirmed this development on Sunday, thanking the manager, who is a legend of the club because of his exploits as a player, for his services. Solskjaer gave a hint of his imminent sack on Saturday after a defeat to struggling Watford by 4-1 at Vicarage Road when he waved goodbye to the away side after the match. While doing this, the club’s assistant captain, Bruno Fernandes, gestured to the United fans that

By Dipo Olowookere The domestication of and strict implementation of the Child Rights Act (CRA) across the country has been advocated for by the Senate President, Mr Bukola Saraki and a group of Civil Society Organization (CSOs). Speaking at a roundtable on ‘Advancing the Rights of the Nigerian Child’ organized by the Office of the Senate President in commemoration of the 2017 Children’s Day celebration in Abuja, Mr Saraki lamented that out of every five children, two currently live in poverty, millions in poor housing, crowded rooms, squalid conditions, on streets and affected by communal conflicts and insurgency. He argued

By Modupe Gbadeyanka As part of its strategic growth plan, Fitch Solutions has launched of its Macro Intelligence Solutions which integrates BMI Research into the Fitch Solutions content suite and combines Fitch Ratings credit insights with BMI expertise, providing clients with one authoritative voice for credit and macro intelligence. “The full integration of BMI Research is a key milestone for Fitch Solutions. The addition of BMI’s 150 expert analysts to the Fitch Solutions offering is a further step forward in our strategy to expand our content portfolio, invest in our macro intelligence platform and provide clients with a comprehensive and