NEWS - The African Mirror

Nov

06

2023

Africa shifts towards genetic modification to boost food security

NEWS

THE designation of Ghana as the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) collaborating centre for Africa, focusing on plant breeding and associated technologies for food and nutrition, is being seen as a pivotal moment in the application of genetic modification in Africa. In a recent press statement, the IAEA announced its collaboration with the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, in a four-year commitment “to promote research and development on mutation breeding in West and sub-Saharan Africa.” Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Applications termed mutation breeding…

Nov

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigerian judge orders release of ex-central bank governor Emefiele

NEWS

A Nigerian court ordered that former central bank governor Godwin Emefiele should be freed unconditionally from detention or be taken to court for a hearing scheduled for Monday. Emefiele, who has been in detention since June 10, is charged with procurement fraud. His trial has stalled since Aug. 23 after the Department of State Services failed to present him in court to enter a plea, despite being granted bail by another judge. He has made no public comment since facing those charges. Justice Olukayode Adeniyi ruled in the hearing in Abuja that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Attorney General…

Nov

04

2023

By The African Mirror

King Charles wraps up Kenya visit marked by questions over colonial past

NEWS

KING Charles and Queen Camilla toured East Africa's oldest mosque and an ancient fort as they concluded a four-day state visit to Kenya marked by questions about Britain's colonial legacy. Charles met Muslim, Christian, Hindu and African traditional faith leaders in the coastal city of Mombasa and toured Fort Jesus, built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Heavy rain prevented the royal couple from riding an electric tuk-tuk between venues. The visit, Charles' first to a former British colony since ascending to the throne in September last year, focused on the two countries' close cooperation on economic development, climate…

Nov

04

2023

By ROBERT HARVEY and AHMAD GHADDAR

Exclusive: Belgium drafting new fuel quality law targeting exports to Africa

NEWS

BELGIUM is set to shut the door on rising exports of low-quality gasoline and diesel to West Africa as it follows the Netherlands in tightening environmental rules, officials have told Reuters. The Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) hub is the world's leading gasoline exporting region, LSEG data shows, and hosts some of Europe's largest oil refineries including plants operated by TotalEnergies and Exxon Mobil. After the Netherlands introduced legislation in April to tighten the specification for its road fuel exports, Belgium's environment and energy ministries are now planning to introduce their own draft rules to tighten the quality of exported fuels. That would further reduce northern…

Nov

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Morocco unearths Roman-era second century site in Rabat

NEWS

MOROCCAN archaeologists said on Friday they uncovered a Roman-era site in Rabat containing a port district, a bath and a cemetery dating back to the second century. The archaeological site, now the third largest in Morocco, will offer insight into the lives of Roman settlers and romanised Moroccans or Mauro-Romans in that era, lead archaeologist Abdelaziz El Khayari said at a news conference on-site. The Roman-era bath spans over 2000 square meters (21,527 square feet) resembling its imperial counterparts in Rome, he said. Archaeologists also found a second-century headless statue of a Roman deity, he said, noting that when ancient…

Nov

05

2023

By GITONGA NJERU, BIRD STORY AGENCY

An AI helped bring this trafficked child home – now its doing the same for hundreds more

NEWS

PHILLISTA Waithera's mother said she had begun a new life after the return of her daughter thanks to the novel use of technology. The 11-year-old was first reported missing in Nairobi in July 2021 when she was just nine years old. At the time Waithera went missing, there were many other reported cases of missing children in the country. Based on media reports at the time, children aged between 0 to 13 years were the biggest victims. "We have worked closely with the police and several organizations to track down our daughter. It took a lot of patience and perseverance,"…

Nov

04

2023

By JULIA PAYNE and LIBBY GEORGE

Exclusive: Nigeria brings major Dangote refinery to life with own oil supply

NEWS

NIGERIA'S state oil firm NNPC Ltd will supply the new 650,000 barrel-per-day Dangote oil refinery with up to six cargoes of crude oil in December to be used in test runs, three industry sources with knowledge of the matter said. The refinery, funded by Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, will transform oil trading in the Atlantic Basin and remove a lucrative outlet for fuels produced in Europe and the United States that have for years powered the cars, trucks and generators on the continent. The refinery is in the Lekki free trade zone near Lagos. Once it is fully up…

Nov

03

2023

By JOE BAVIER

Africa-US trade programme needs at least 10-year extension, AU says

NEWS

AFRICA wants the U.S. Congress to renew its flagship trade programme for the continent for at least 10 years, the African Union's top trade official said on Thursday, adding that any modifications to the initiative should only be considered later. Speaking at the start of three days of meetings of African trade ministers and U.S. officials, AU Trade Commissioner Albert Muchanga also said the United States will not be granted tariff-free access to a new African free trade area. First launched in 2000, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) grants exports from qualifying African countries duty-free access to the United States…

Nov

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigerian lawmakers OK president’s extra spending request amid criticism

NEWS

NIGERIAN lawmakers approved President Bola Tinubu's $2.8 billion supplementary budget that includes new bulletproof cars for himself and his wife, drawing outrage from citizens grappling with a cost of living crisis. Tinubu sent the budget to the Senate and House of Representatives this week saying the extra funding was needed for "urgent issues" including defence and security and would form part of the 2023 spending plan. But his government's plans to also spend 5.095 billion naira ($6.47 million) on a presidential yacht, 1.5 billion naira ($1.91 million) on official vehicles for the office of the first lady and 12.7 billion naira on…

Nov

04

2023

By EDWARD MCALLISTER, DAVID LEWIS and MICHELLE NICHOLS

UN retreat from Mali in disarray as violence surges

NEWS

BEFORE United Nations peacekeepers hurriedly abandoned their base in Kidal in northern Mali, they made a costly call: with insurgents stationed nearby, they destroyed sensitive equipment to avoid it falling into the wrong hands, the U.N. said. Shortly after the last U.N. convoy rolled out, the ethnic Tuareg rebels announced they had taken over the base. Photos posted on social media on Wednesday appeared to show locals loading trucks with looted goods, including tyres, cables and chairs. Mali's ruling military junta in June ordered the decade-old UN mission, known as MINUSMA, to leave as its relations soured with former international allies. MINUSMA has…