Congo prepares to takeover OPEC’s rotating presidency; Chad, Sudan reaches agreement to boost security; Nigeria to partner with Bitt Inc to launch ‘eNaira’

Boko Haram fighters surrender in Nigeria

The Nigerian military says nearly 6,000 Boko Haram members including commanders, fighters and their families have surrendered to the authorities in the last couple of weeks. This came after Cameroon also announced the surrender of hundreds of Boko Haram militants recently.

The Nigerian army said the mass surrender of the members of the militant group is a result of the intense military offensive in the northeast of the country. The death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in May could be another reason, and many of his followers have either surrendered to the authorities or switched their loyalty to rival group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

While Nigerian authorities say they’re now profiling those who have surrendered for possible de-radicalisation and rehabilitation, some Nigerians are sceptical about reintegrating the former fighters back into the society – citing possible risks.

App facilitates quicker access to medical services in DR Congo

Bienvenue Zigabe has created an application to facilitate quick access to medical services in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The app named, “Wiiqare”, helps patients pay for treatment and drugs using their savings or on credit.

“Our goal is for everyone to have access to health care. When you feel sick and you have to stay at home, you can go directly to a health service for appropriate care because this is what often happens, because in our community when someone is sick and they don’t have money, they are forced to stay at home, said Zagabe, the Wiiqare inventor.

The app is getting good reviews in Goma, a city in eastern Congo where health infrastructure remains poor.

“When I left home I didn’t have the means and I came to use the Wiiqare application which made it easier for me to benefit from the care and to be examined quickly. I am saving little by little in the card and this helps me to be treated,” said Odile Neema, a Goma resident who was visiting Kyeshero hospital.

Nigeria to partner with Bitt Inc to launch ‘eNaira’ digital currency

The Central Bank of Nigeria had on Monday 30th August 2021 said that the country had agreed to partner with Bitt Inc to launch its own cryptocurrency, the “eNaira”.  This decision comes after the country’s apex bank banned banks and financial institutions from dealing in or facilitating transactions in cryptocurrencies in February.  A statement released by the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele explained eNaira will be serving as a wallet against which bank customers will be able to maintain existing funds in their respective accounts. In a statement on Monday, Emefiele said the currency will facilitate financial inclusion and enable swift remittance influx.

Congo prepares to takeover OPEC’s rotating presidency

The third-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria and Angola, Congo will assume the rotating presidency of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC’s), from their neighbouring country, Angola in 2022. Mohammed Barkindo, the organization’s secretary-General visited Congo this week where he met and had talks with the country’s leaders. With 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and about 2.9 billion oil reserves barrels, Congo is sustaining developmental drive across all energy value chains of the country. This in a bid to alleviate poverty and position the country as a regional energy centre.

Nearly 45,000 people currently declared missing across Africa – ICRC

As a way of marking the International Day of the Disappeared,

the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said earlier this week that over 44,000 people, 45% of them children, are currently declared missing across Africa, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). According to the statement released by the organization, the majority of the disappeared are from seven African countries currently troubled with armed conflicts. Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, Libya amidst other countries are enlisted as the countries with the highest rate of disappearance.

Chad, Sudan reaches agreement to boost security, fight cross-border terror threats

In a bid to strengthen the security situation of Chad, Chadian Transitional Military council chairman, Mohammed Idriss Derby has on  Monday visited Sudan to gain regional security support, months after the death of the erstwhile president, Idriss Derby. Troubled with insecurity threats, Derby said his presence in Sudan was also meant to strengthen the cooperation and long time relations between both countries. Due to their security challenges, the countries have earlier appreciated their integration and joint collaboration with the African Union in the field of border security and fight against terrorism

Tunisia’s former presidential candidate, Karoui arrested in Algeria

On Sunday 29th of August 2021, Algerian authorities arrest the leader of Tunisia’s liberal party, Nabil Karoui. Karoui who emerged as the first runner in the Tunisia 2019 presidential election was arrested alongside his brother. A Tunisian private TV, Nessma, reported that the authorities accused both of them of allowing the Karoui brothers who have been on prosecution since 2017 in a case of money laundering and tax fraud, to jump trial to Algeria.

Founder of the private Tunisian channel Nessma TV, which is partly owned by Silvio Berlusconi, former head of the Italian government, Mr. Karoui has been prosecuted since 2017 in a case of money laundering and tax fraud. Mr. Karoui, whose agenda for the last presidential election focused majorly on the fight against poverty, was massively defeated by Kaïs Saïed, a newbie in politics. This according to reports was a result of the ejection of the elites in power since the 2011 revolution.

Mali’s former interim president and PM released from house arrest

Mali’s Post coup monitoring committee has on Friday 26th August 2021 reported that the former interim president and prime minister, Bah Ndaw and Moctar Ouane have been released by the authorities from house arrest. Their detention in May by the military was Mali’s second coup in about eight months since the first coup against its civil president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020.

Fearing it could delay a promised return to civilian rule via democratic elections, the international community which includes committee and representatives from West African regional bloc ECOWAS and the African Union tracked and facilitated the release of the two from house arrest. “The committee reaffirms its support for the process of transition in Mali,” it said.

Africa countries, UN, IOM review migration aims

In preparation of a report that will be presented and discussed in the Global Review of the Implementation of the GCM in 2022, United Nations and the International Organization of Migration representatives, as well as officials from African countries and the African Union, were the attendees of the two-day discussions on migration and human mobility in the African continent. According to reports, migrant exploitation in Africa and the humanitarian protection of their rights were among the theme discussed by the participants.

Speaking during the meeting Felipe González Morales, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, said while speaking during the meeting that the coronavirus pandemic, conflicts, food insecurity and climate change among other factors forced people to migrate inside and outside the continent. The dusk of the meeting resulted in an agreement between many African countries not to make the implementation of goals set out in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) a realistic one.

Nigerian health workers extend jabs to rural areas

In a bid to stop the spread of covid19 in rural communities, Nigerian health authorities have extended covid19 vaccines to small villages outside urban areas.

The director of primary health care at Kuje Area of Abuja said while leading teams of health workers to different communities that

equity in access to the vaccines is vital to all. Traditional leaders are also collaborating the efforts of health workers in the vaccination campaign to fight against the hesitancy in vaccination.

Africa’s most populous nation with more than, collected donations of 4 million Moderna doses last month from the U.S. and also expects a delivery of more than 29 million Johnson & Johnson doses purchased by the government through the African Union.

Egypt set to produce 1 billion Sinovac vaccines a year

On Wednesday 1st September 2021, Egypt unveiled plans to produce a billion doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine a year. Declaring it will become Africa’s “biggest vaccine producer”, the country’s Health Minister said a factory will be open to manufacturing three million doses per day, and another will be opened to produce more than 200 million doses per year to meet “national needs”,

 

Educator, writer and legal researcher at Alafarika for Studies and Consultancy.

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