The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a 200 million dollars loan to scale up priority agricultural investments in Nigeria. The AfDB said this in a statement on its website. It said the financing would support the second phase of the Federal Government’s National Agricultural Growth Scheme–Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP). According to the statement, this aims at boosting productivity, strengthening value chains and accelerating climate-smart, data-driven farming. “The approval follows earlier financing under the Bank Group’s African Emergency Food Production Facility and will contribute to implementing five programmes under the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP).…
Author: Newsdesk
Babagana Zulum, Governor of Borno State, has approved a N12.9 billion scholarship scheme to sponsor 54 indigenes of the state to study aeronautics and engineering, alongside various professional certifications, at Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management. The Senior Technical Assistant to the governor on Print and Digital Communications, Abdulrahman Bundi, said in a statement on Friday that the training programme covers basic pilot training. It includes 10 beneficiaries specialising in Aerospace Engineering, 11 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 11 in Mechatronics Engineering, 12 in Software Engineering, and 10 in Systems Engineering. At a brief ceremony held at the Government…
Kenya has introduced a new digital trade initiative aimed at accelerating intra-African commerce by transforming its diplomatic missions into active commercial hubs under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The government unveiled two interconnected platforms — BiasharaLink and Deal House — designed to help African businesses identify partners, negotiate agreements and execute cross-border transactions more efficiently. The initiative marks a strategic pivot towards technology-driven economic diplomacy. Officials say the platforms will be integrated into Kenyan embassies and high commissions across the continent, enabling missions abroad to play a direct role in facilitating trade and investment deals rather than serving…
Africa is accelerating regional cooperation across its mining sector as governments seek to transform abundant critical mineral reserves into sustained economic growth, industrialisation and stronger influence in global supply chains. Holding roughly 30 percent of the world’s critical mineral resources, the continent is increasingly positioned as a strategic supplier for industries driving the global energy transition. Policymakers now argue that deeper collaboration between African countries will determine whether this resource advantage translates into long-term economic gains. Africa hosts the world’s largest reserves of platinum group metals (PGMs), manganese and chrome, alongside major deposits of copper, cobalt and iron ore essential for electric…
President John Mahama has unveiled an ambitious reform agenda aimed at transforming Ghana’s mining industry from a raw-material exporter into a value-driven industrial sector, urging stronger local participation, downstream processing and technology transfer. Speaking on Wednesday at the Ghana Mineral Sector Local Content Summit in the port city of Takoradi, Mahama said the country must fundamentally rethink how it manages its mineral wealth if mining is to deliver long-term economic transformation. ‘For over a century, mining has been the backbone of Ghana’s economy,’ he told delegates including traditional leaders, mining executives, diplomats and policymakers. ‘Yet much of the high-value activity…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 , on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, arraigned Tunji Adewumi Adepoju and his company, West Quantum Auto Products Ltd, before Justice O. A. Okunuga of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, over an alleged N53,000,000 fraud. Adepoju and his company were arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing. The charge alleges that the defendant dishonestly stole the proceeds from the sale of eight cars belonging to Mr. Idowu Raji, valued at N53,000,000, by converting the funds to personal use, contrary to Sections 41(1), 280(4),…
The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has commended the standardization of cassava processing centres established under the International Fund for Agricultural Development Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP) in Enugu State. SON inspected cassava processing centres located at Ako Nike in Enugu East Local Government Area and Umueze Umaga Ezimo-Agu in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State. Speaking during the inspection on Thursday, the State Coordinator of SON, Mr. Peter Ameh, said the facilities were largely compliant with required standards but still had areas needing improvement. Ameh, represented by the Assistant Chief Standards Officer, Dr. Rita Frank-Makwe, said, “From my…
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it sealed 18 warehouses in Bida following the discovery of large quantities of expired food and beverage products. In a statement, the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Mr. Olusayo Akintola, said the warehouses were located around Ndazabo White House along Minna Road, behind Bida Modern Market in Niger State. Akintola said the warehouses were shut after NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement team acted on credible intelligence. He stated that items recovered during the raid included expired non-alcoholic beverages, dairy milk, candies, bottled water, and pasta valued at N100 million. He…
Nigeria has been elected to Chair the United Nations Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, known as “UN’s most strategic committee,” for a record 54th time. Charge d’Affaires, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, Amb. Syndoph Endoni was elected Chair of the committee also known as C-34 by acclamation at the United Nations Headquarters in New York during the opening of the 2026 Session. Nigeria has a long-standing, recurring role as Chair of the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations from 1972 to date and has frequently been re-elected to lead the most critical committee of the United Nations.…
Ghana has paid 10bn cedis ($910 million) in interest obligations under its Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), marking another step in the country’s gradual recovery from its most severe economic crisis in a generation. The payment, confirmed Wednesday by the Ministry of Finance, represents the sixth coupon settlement since the domestic debt restructuring initiative was launched in late 2022. Authorities say the move is intended to reinforce confidence among investors and demonstrate the government’s commitment to honouring obligations following the debt overhaul. In a statement, the ministry said the settlement aims to reassure both domestic and international investors, strengthen Ghana’s credit…