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Category: Africa

  • Shettima urges new ECOWAS leadership to prioritise unity, integration

    Shettima urges new ECOWAS leadership to prioritise unity, integration

    NEW YORK, United States (Agency Report) — Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged the new leadership of the ECOWAS Commission to prioritise regional unity and integration to advance the progress of the sub-region’s people and economy.

    Shettima made the call on Friday in New York when he received an ECOWAS delegation on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

    The delegation was led by the new President of the ECOWAS Commission, Senegalese retired Gen. Birame Diop.

    Shettima urged the commission to build bridges of friendship across the sub-region and promote programmes and policies capable of significantly improving the lives and livelihoods of its people.

    He also called on the new ECOWAS leadership to prioritise private-sector participation in the execution of the Lagos-Abidjan Highway project.

    “Beyond your administrative duties, your leadership of the commission must make deliberate efforts to build bridges of friendship across the sub-region.

    “ECOWAS should be at the forefront of our engagement with emerging blocs in the area such as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

    “I urge ECOWAS under your leadership to champion the cause of regional integration and strengthen the bonds of unity and friendship among our people,” he said.

    The vice president congratulated Diop on his election, noting that he assumed office at a difficult time that required greater synergy and cohesion among the leaders and people of the sub-region.

    Shettima assured Diop of Nigeria’s continued cooperation and support.

    He said President Bola Tinubu would support efforts aimed at strengthening ECOWAS and advancing the development of the sub-region.

    “My boss, President Bola Tinubu, is a man of honour and conviction who will always support efforts aimed at advancing the transformation of ECOWAS as a regional body and the progress of the area in general,” he said.

    Shettima said Nigeria would continue to create an enabling environment for ECOWAS to succeed and contribute meaningfully to achieving the vision and objectives set by its founding fathers.

    Earlier, Diop commended Nigeria for its role in the establishment and sustenance of ECOWAS over the years.

    He also acknowledged Nigeria’s contributions towards the stability and prosperity of the sub-region despite the challenges facing the region.

    Diop expressed concern over rising insecurity and lagging development across the sub-region.

    He said the commission was facing unique challenges that required Nigeria’s direct intervention as a “big brother” to help resolve them.

    The ECOWAS Commission president described the regional body as an instrument for regional stability that should be encouraged and supported.

    He also appealed to other countries in the sub-region to cooperate with Nigeria to promote inclusive development and a better future for the people.

    The meeting was attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amb. Jimoh Ibrahim; and senior officials of the ECOWAS Commission, among others.

    NAN

  • UNGA81: AfDB, partners launch free AI training for African public officials

    UNGA81: AfDB, partners launch free AI training for African public officials

    NEW YORK, United States (NPA) — The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, in partnership with the UNDP AI Hub for Sustainable Development, Google and Apolitical, has launched a free training programme to help public officials across Africa understand and apply artificial intelligence (AI) in their work.

    The programme was launched on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

    Under Apolitical’s Government AI Campus initiative, participants will have access to courses including “AI Fundamentals for Public Servants: Opportunities, Risks and Strategies,” “AI Leadership in Government: Building Trust, Skills and an Innovative Culture,” and “Smarter Procurement with AI.”

    The training courses were developed by Stanford University Online and SDA Bocconi School of Management, while Google and Apolitical are providing the learning platform and content.

    The AI Hub for Sustainable Development is a G7-endorsed initiative co-led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. It also aligns with Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa.

    The African Development Bank Group is a founding member of the AI Hub’s Executive Steering Group.

    AfDB Director for Industrial and Trade Development, Ousmane Fall, said the partnership would help address the need for stronger understanding of AI applications within government.

    “AI is changing how we work. It promises major productivity gains if users fully understand its application. Building that understanding in government has been neglected and this partnership helps us put that right,” Fall said.

    The training is the first step towards implementing recommendations from an AfDB report, “Africa’s AI Productivity Gain: Pathways to Labour Efficiency, Economic Growth and Inclusive Transformation.”

    The report projected that inclusive AI deployment could add up to $1 trillion to Africa’s gross domestic product by 2035, while identifying skills and trusted governance among five key enablers needed to realise those gains.

    Director of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development and UNDP Head of Digital and AI Programmes, Keyzom Ngodup Massally, said African governments needed timely support to strengthen their institutional and technical capacity to participate in the AI economy.

    “As the AI landscape continues to evolve, governments across Africa need timely support to strengthen the institutional and technical foundations required to participate meaningfully in the AI economy,” Massally said.

    The training is self-paced, with enrolment open and free of charge to serving government officials and public servants in the African Development Bank’s regional member countries.

    The programme is targeted at officials working on AI in public service delivery, digital infrastructure, public-private partnerships and innovation.

  • Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago sign Air Services Agreement

    Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago sign Air Services Agreement

    ACCRA, Ghana (NPA) — Ghana and Trinidad and Tobago have signed an Air Services Agreement aimed at strengthening air connectivity and creating new opportunities for cooperation between the West African and Caribbean nations.

    Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama announced the agreement in a statement on Friday following a meeting with Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, S.C., in New York.

    Mahama said the agreement would strengthen air connectivity and create new opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.

    “We signed an Air Services Agreement between Ghana and Trinidad and Tobago. This agreement strengthens air connectivity and creates new opportunities for cooperation between our countries,” he said.

    The two leaders also discussed the reparations agenda, trade and investment, according to Mahama.

  • UN Women, EU partner to accelerate women’s employment in Middle East, North Africa

    UN Women, EU partner to accelerate women’s employment in Middle East, North Africa

    The Surging Women’s Employment Initiative aims to increase women’s employment by 5 per cent by 2030

    NEW YORK, United States (NPA) — UN Women and the European Union (EU) have partnered to accelerate women’s employment across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) through the Surging Women’s Employment Initiative (SWEI).

    The regional flagship initiative brings together governments, the private sector, financial institutions, development partners, civil society and UN agencies to address the region’s low levels of women’s participation in the labour market.

    The partnership was launched on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week in New York.

    The initiative comes at a time when the MENA region has one of the world’s largest youth cohorts entering the labour market, while women’s labour force participation has remained at about 20 per cent on average for more than two decades.

    According to the EU and UN Women, narrowing the employment gap between women and men could increase regional gross domestic product by as much as 60 per cent, while generating greater productivity, innovation and economic resilience.

    SWEI aims to increase women’s employment by five per cent by 2030, with an overall target of creating 500,000 jobs for women.

    The initiative is a key component of the EU’s Pact for the Mediterranean, which supports gender equality in the southern Mediterranean.

    With EU support, SWEI will focus on three areas: advancing legal and macroeconomic reforms for private sector-led, job-rich growth; engaging businesses to expand women’s employment; and developing innovative employment models in the care, green and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors.

    The initiative will be supported by public-private financing and strategic investment.

    European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, said the EU’s €10 million contribution to SWEI would help turn ambition into action through investment in skills, entrepreneurship and opportunities in sectors with significant potential.

    “Through the Pact for the Mediterranean and our €10 million contribution to the Surging Women’s Employment Initiative, we are working with UN Women to turn ambition into action,” Šuica said.

    She said the initiative’s overall goal was to create 500,000 jobs for women and increase women’s employment by five per cent by 2030.

    UN Women Regional Director for the Arab States, Dr Moez Doraid, said the region could not realise its full economic potential while women remained significantly underrepresented in the labour market.

    “Thanks to UN Women’s partnership with the European Union, SWEI is bringing policy reform, investment and private-sector action together around a measurable, time-bound goal: significantly increasing women’s employment in the Arab States by the end of the decade — the target date for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” Doraid said.

    The partnership builds on commitments by several Arab governments to increase women’s economic participation.

    According to the partners, UN Women and its partners have contributed to reforms of 20 laws supporting women’s economic participation, while more than 900 companies in the Arab States have signed the Women’s Empowerment Principles, which set out corporate commitments to gender equality.

    The partners said US$25 million in donor funding had been mobilised from Sweden, Spain and Finland, including the EU’s €10 million contribution, alongside financing from the Islamic Development Bank.

    UN Women and the EU said the partnership provided a clear example of global efforts to accelerate women’s economic participation and empowerment.

  • Abidjan hosts water governance talks ahead of first West Africa Regional Water Forum

    Abidjan hosts water governance talks ahead of first West Africa Regional Water Forum

    ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire (NPA) — The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has opened its 13th Ordinary Session of the Technical Experts Committee of the Permanent Framework for Coordination and Monitoring of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Abidjan.

    The session, which began on September 22, 2026, brought together representatives of ECOWAS member states, regional institutions, development partners and civil society to assess progress in regional water governance and formulate recommendations for the 6th Ordinary Session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee.

    According to an ECOWAS statement issued on September 22, the meeting is a key preparatory step towards the First West Africa Regional Water Forum (FREAO), scheduled for September 24–25 in Abidjan under the theme, “Valuing Water to Transform West Africa.”

    The regional body said the forum is expected to focus on strengthening transboundary water cooperation, accelerating the implementation of regional water policies, mobilising sustainable financing and advancing progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation.

    The technical session was opened by Conservateur Général Elvire-Joëlle Zouzou épouse Mailly on behalf of Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Water and Forests, Jacques Assahoré Konan.

    Speaking on behalf of ECOWAS, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), Director of the ECOWAS Water Resources Management Centre, Kouassi Kouakou Alexis, underscored the strategic importance of integrated water resources management to regional integration, resilience and sustainable development.

    The meeting is chaired by Senegal through Dr Bacary Fatty.

    Dr Boluwaji Onobolu, President of the Sub-Regional Consultative Council on Water Resources (CRCE), called for stronger participation by civil society, women and young people in regional water governance.

    The recommendations adopted by the technical experts will be submitted to the 6th Ordinary Session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee and subsequently considered during FREAO.

    The first West Africa Regional Water Forum is expected to bring together ministers, technical experts, development partners and other stakeholders to discuss the next phase of the region’s water governance agenda.

  • EACC recovers KSh708,664 from former Homa Bay County official

    EACC recovers KSh708,664 from former Homa Bay County official

    NAIROBI, Kenya (NPA) — Kenya’s Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has secured an order for the recovery of KSh708,664 from a former Homa Bay County Government employee who received double salary payments for more than three years.

    In a judgment delivered on September 18, 2026, the High Court ordered Evelyne Adhiambo Ogweno, a former medical social worker at Ndiru Hospital Centre in Rangwe Sub-County, and former County Payroll Officer Maurice Ochieng Wambo to jointly and severally refund KSh708,664 to the Government of Kenya.

    According to a statement by the EACC on September 22, 2026, the recovery followed investigations into multiple salary payments to current and former employees of the Homa Bay County Government.

    The investigation established that Ogweno, a former employee of the County Department of Health Services, received additional salary payments between February 2015 and May 2018.

    During the period, she received KSh708,664 in additional payments over and above her regular salary.

    The EACC subsequently filed a recovery suit against Ogweno and three former county payroll officials to recover the additional public funds.

    The recovery forms part of a series of cases filed by the commission following investigations into the alleged loss of KSh42,249,988 through the Homa Bay County Government payroll system.

    In addition to recovering the public funds, the EACC said it was pursuing the prosecution of public officials found to bear the greatest responsibility for the alleged payroll fraud.

  • NSFAS restores funding for 357 Nelson Mandela University students

    NSFAS restores funding for 357 Nelson Mandela University students

    GQEBERHA, South Africa (NPA) — South Africa’s National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has restored funding for 357 Nelson Mandela University (NMU) students enrolled in extended programmes after they were incorrectly defunded due to incorrect qualification codes.

    Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Yusuf Cassim said NSFAS had also confirmed that all outstanding allowances for the affected students were up to date.

    The development followed engagements between Cassim and NSFAS after his appointment in July, during which he raised the issue and called for the affected students’ funding to be restored as a matter of urgency.

    As part of his delegated responsibilities covering student accommodation, non-academic barriers to student success and the broader student experience, Cassim visited NMU’s Gqeberha campus on Friday and its George campus on Saturday.

    The visits followed concerns raised through the Deputy Minister’s Helpdesk and provided Cassim with an opportunity to engage directly with students and institutional stakeholders.

    NSFAS has also committed to meeting with the NMU finance team this week to address outstanding matters and ensure that affected students receive the necessary assistance.

    Students raised several funding concerns, including defunding linked to GAP investigations, incorrect qualification codes and dual registration.

    They also raised concerns about delays in implementing the announced opt-out from the cafeteria-based Meal Management System (MMS).

    Cassim said students’ concerns should not be overshadowed by disruptions.

    “We will continue to go where the issues are. The Deputy Minister’s Helpdesk assists all students. Those who need NSFAS funding restored, those who cannot access meals, those experiencing disability support delays, and those raising safety and health concerns must not be crowded out by disruption or student politics,” he said.

    Cassim was accompanied by officials from the Department of Higher Education and Training’s University Branch, NSFAS, Higher Health and several Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).

    The stakeholders engaged students and provided information on available support.

    Students in Nelson Mandela Bay also raised challenges relating to SETA bursaries. The Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) and the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services SETA (merSETA) engaged affected students and committed to further discussions with NMU.

    At the George campus, engagements with the Student Representative Council (SRC) and students focused largely on the implementation of the MMS opt-out.

    Students raised concerns about the quality of food, reported mark-ups of up to 36 per cent on some items and the unavailability of Halal options.

    They also raised concerns about safety linked to off-campus accommodation and transport, as well as difficulties accessing effective campus health services.

    Cassim said Higher Health would engage with NMU’s campus health services to identify gaps and strengthen student support.

    Disability support was also raised, including delays in the approval of disability allowances.

    Cassim instructed NSFAS to review the status of payments to the institution for meal allowances linked to the MMS and develop an operational plan to enable students to opt out of the system as soon as possible.

    He emphasised that students must be given a choice in how they access their meals and should not be locked into arrangements they did not choose.

    The Deputy Minister also committed to raising the outstanding issues during a follow-up engagement with the university, which NMU had committed to convening following Friday’s disruptions.

    Cassim expressed appreciation to the officials and sector partners who participated in the visits and apologised to students and stakeholders affected by the disruptions at the Gqeberha campus.

    “We apologise to students and partners for the challenges experienced at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha on Friday. Those incidents were beyond this Office’s control. However, they should not prevent us from working collectively to ensure that no student is left behind,” he said.

  • US announces visa restrictions targeting some South Africans

    US announces visa restrictions targeting some South Africans

    WASHINGTON, United States (NPA) — The United States has announced new visa restrictions targeting certain foreign nationals from South Africa, as tensions between Washington and Pretoria continue to deepen.

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the policy on Tuesday, saying it would target foreign nationals responsible for, or complicit in, the enactment or implementation of laws or policies that enable what Washington describes as uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination and the incitement of imminent violence against minority ethnic or racial groups in South Africa.

    “The South African government has not adequately addressed the previously laid out concerns,” Rubio said in a statement.

    The policy is being imposed under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the Secretary of State to restrict entry where a foreign national’s presence could have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States. Certain family members may also be covered.

    The Trump administration has repeatedly criticised South Africa over its land reform and racial-equity policies. Washington has also objected to South Africa’s legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

    South Africa, however, has rejected the U.S. characterisation of its domestic policies, saying its land and other reform measures are aimed at addressing inequalities inherited from apartheid.

    In a statement on Wednesday, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said it had noted with concern the U.S. visa restrictions.

    The department said the announcement was consistent with what it described as “the mischaracterisation of South Africa’s domestic policies by fringe groups”.

    “We maintain that challenges in our bilateral relations with the USA can only be resolved by constructive engagement through state actors on both sides of the diplomatic channel, not unilateral acts,” the statement said.

    The identities and number of people who could be affected by the new restrictions had not been disclosed as of Wednesday.

    The U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, said the visa policy was “only the first step in a series of escalatory measures”, signalling the possibility of further action by Washington.

    The latest development adds to a series of disputes between the two countries under President Donald Trump’s administration, further straining bilateral relations.

  • Ghana reaffirms Western Sahara position, welcomes UN Security Council Resolution 2797

    Ghana reaffirms Western Sahara position, welcomes UN Security Council Resolution 2797

    ACCRA, Ghana (NPA) — Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has received an envoy of Western Sahara, Mr Tayeb Al-Siddiq Al-Bashir, as the Ghanaian government reaffirmed its position on the long-running Western Sahara dispute.

    The Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement issued on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, said the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss Ghana’s position and its desire for an amicable resolution to the dispute.

    According to the ministry, Ghana’s decision of January 6, 2025, has not been reversed.

    The ministry also said the Ghanaian government welcomed the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797, which extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and expressed support for the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy in facilitating negotiations.

    The resolution calls on the parties to engage in discussions without preconditions, taking Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal as a basis, with the objective of reaching a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

    The ministry said Ghana’s Foreign Minister reiterated the country’s desire to see an amicable resolution of the longstanding dispute.

    The statement reads in part: “The Foreign Minister, Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has granted audience to Mr. Tayeb Al-Siddiq Al-Bashir, an envoy of Western Sahara.

    “The Foreign Minister reiterated Ghana’s desire to see an amicable resolution of the historical impasse.

    “While acknowledging that Ghana’s decision of January 6, 2025 has not been reversed, the Government of Ghana welcomes the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797 which expressed full support for the Secretary General and his Personal Envoy in facilitating and conducting negotiations taking as basis Morocco’s Autonomy proposal with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable resolution to the dispute, consistent with the UN Charter.

    “Ghana commits to continue with positive engagements with all parties and the international community in the pursuit of lasting peace and justice.”

    The ministry said Ghana would continue engaging positively with all parties and the international community in support of efforts to achieve lasting peace and justice in Western Sahara.

  • Ebola cases in DR Congo rise to 7,022 as outbreak spreads to seventh province

    Ebola cases in DR Congo rise to 7,022 as outbreak spreads to seventh province

    KINSHASA, DR Congo (NPA) — The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has risen to 7,022, according to the latest government data, as the outbreak has spread to a seventh province.

    The latest situation report from the country’s public health institute showed that South Ubangi, in northwestern DRC, had become the latest province affected by the outbreak.

    The development marks a further expansion of the outbreak, which has become the largest Ebola outbreak recorded in the DRC in terms of confirmed cases. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus.

    According to the latest figures, the outbreak had recorded 3,398 deaths as of September 10, giving a case-fatality rate of about 48.4 per cent.

    The first confirmed case in South Ubangi was detected in the Bulu health zone. Health authorities said the patient, a young man who later died, had travelled through several provinces before arriving in the northwestern region, raising concerns about further transmission along the route.

    Authorities have identified people who had contact with the patient and placed them under monitoring as part of efforts to contain the spread.

    Ebola is a severe viral disease transmitted primarily through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials. Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, bleeding.

    The World Health Organisation and health authorities have intensified response efforts, including vaccination of frontline workers and the expansion of treatment and surveillance activities. However, insecurity, population movement, shortages of health workers and funding constraints continue to complicate the response.

    Earlier, Newpost Africa reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had in June approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of ₦10 billion in emergency intervention funding.

    According to the Presidency, the funding is intended to strengthen the operational preparedness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical public health emergency response activities.

    The task force, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, comprises representatives of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as state governments.

    The measures followed a high-level stakeholders’ meeting convened to assess Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies to prevent the possible importation and spread of Ebola.

    The Federal Government subsequently directed states hosting international airports and border corridors, alongside relevant agencies, to submit detailed preparedness plans, funding requirements and intervention needs.

    Other measures announced included intensified passenger screening at international airports, enhanced temperature monitoring, improved crowd-control procedures and increased surveillance of passengers arriving through identified high-risk routes.

    The government also directed the activation of referral and isolation centres at the international airports in Lagos and Abuja, with similar facilities planned for other airports.

    Additional measures included the use of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers arriving from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, as well as routine disinfection of airport facilities, cargo areas and baggage-handling infrastructure.

    The Nigerian authorities also directed relevant security, diplomatic and aviation agencies to review and implement additional safeguards for flights originating from countries affected by Ebola.