World
Somali President Vows To Protect Journalists
By Dipo Olowookere
President Somalia, Mr Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has promise to ensure journalists in the country are protected from various attacks
Mr Mohamud, during a meeting with media practitioners ahead of today’s commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, reassured them on his government’s commitment to end impunity for crimes against journalists.
The President commended them for their tremendous sacrifices to provide news and information to the public.
Last night, Somali President hosted in Villa Somalia a dinner ceremony for media representatives and encouraged them to continue their tremendous sacrifices in delivering vital services of informing and educating the public.
The President also listened to the concerns from media practitioners and found their conversation very useful.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/68/163 at its 68th session in 2013 which proclaimed 2 November as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’.
“Today’s event is a strong sign for the Federal Government of Somalia to stress the importance to end impunity and our readiness to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity.
“I therefore, ask all concerned parties such as media stakeholders, government institutions and our international partners to work together in assisting our journalists so that they can fulfil their mandated tasks with professionalism, integrity, objectivity, impartiality and for the interest of our people and the national interest of our beloved country,” said President Mohamud.
Mr Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, the Secretary General of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and Mahir Jama Aden, the President of NUSOJ shared the concerns of journalists and provided their recommendations, which the President of Somalia agreed and informed them that he will instruct the Federal Government Institutions to implement those recommendations in partnership with media practitioners.
“Journalists took huge risks during the civil war. Their sacrifice was worthwhile as their involvements were significant for the progress that the country has been making for the last decade or so. “Without Somali journalists the country wouldn’t have achieved this much progress made in terms of security, accountability, transparency and development,” said Mr Mohamud, adding that, “Somali journalists are our heroes and we must do all to protect them and end impunity for Crimes against Journalists.”
President Mohamud said that the Federal Government of Somalia has zero tolerance when it comes to the killing of Somali journalists.
The government took extreme measures to mitigate this and to show its full commitments to end Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. We carried out death penalties to four of these killers to our journalists.
Hasan Hanafi Haji who was the mastermind of most of the killings of journalists on behalf of Al-Shabaab was brought to justice and publicly executed after securing his conviction at the courts. This is a clear demonstration that no one is above the law.
The security institutions had been alerted to take this issue very seriously. In response to this, the national Police has conducted a thorough investigation to all reported cases, and will continue to pursue all criminal thugs that target our journalists.
Most of the cases reported never reached a stage of court proceedings due to lack of witnesses coming forward and no hard evidence available.
The terrorist groups’ aim of targeting our journalists is mainly an attempt to silence them. However, the Federal Government institutions, are working very hard to protect journalists despite the huge challenges facing the security institutions such as lack of capacity in legal proceedings and the difficulties in finding concrete evidence. Having said that, our priority has always been security while at the same time availing journalists an environment that is conducive for them to conduct their work without fear of intimidation and worse killings from terrorist groups.
Given the climate of security, there is no doubt that there have been cases whereby the security forces detained journalists for the sake of national security. However, these cases were dealt with, and the majority of cases, those journalists were released.
“We have worked very hard to implement coordination mechanisms between security forces and media via the Ministry of Information. We will continue to improve this coordination and partnership between security agencies and media outlets. Also, the Ministry of Information has conducted trainings to build the capacity of our journalists and security forces,” said the Somali President.
“Furthermore, I signed the Media Law into a decree and is to be implemented and we hope the country will soon have an independent and responsible Media Council that will regulate the media industry, so that our country will become one of the countries around the globe to have a free media as enshrined in our provisional constitution. Article 18 says Every person has the right to have and express their opinions and to receive and impart their opinion, information and ideas in any way,” concluded the President.
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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