NEWS - The African Mirror

Apr

05

2023

Gunmen in Nigeria seize eight students in latest kidnapping

NEWS

ARDO HAZZAD GUNMEN in Nigeria's northern Kaduna state kidnapped eight secondary school students coming from school along with an unknown number of others, authorities said, the latest in a wave of such abductions. Armed gangs operating mostly in remote parts of northwest Nigeria have carried out violent attacks against villagers, schools and motorists, abducting hundreds for ransom. Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner for internal security in Kaduna, said gunmen on Monday seized eight students from Awon Government Secondary School in Kachia local government area. The gang had earlier kidnapped the other people. It was not immediately clear where the students were…

Apr

05

2023

By The African Mirror

The rise and rise of women football in Africa

NEWS

BIRD STORY AGENCY WOMEN'S football in Africa is scoring new progress goals, with more female players, coaches and referees joining the game than ever before. Confederation of African Football's first Women's Football Landscape report 2022 shows there are 150,653 registered female players, 4140 female coaches, and 4724 female referees under CAF. With a record 47 out of 54 countries in the continent having women's national teams, the traditionally male-dominated sport is growing to become an all-gender sport. "We can see that great progress has been made in terms of development and participation with 47 MAs having a senior women's national…

Apr

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Africa’s central banks lead the way, embrace open banking

NEWS

CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY NIGERIA in March became the first African country to launch open banking on the continent, after publishing guidelines on how traditional lenders may connect to a global digital market poised to grow from US$13.9 billion to US$123.7 billion by 2031, according to Allied Market Research. According to a circular published by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the regulations are backed by the country's data protection laws and are geared towards enhancing efficiency, competition and access to financial services. "The adoption of Open Banking in Nigeria will foster the sharing of customer-permissioned data between banks and…

Apr

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya prosecutor stops case against MPs after protests suspended

NEWS

HUMPHREY MALALO KENYA'S top prosecutor has dropped charges against four lawmakers over anti-government protests, a day after opposition leader Raila Odinga suspended the demonstrations, their lawyer said. Odinga said on Sunday he was ready for talks with President William Ruto, as long as authorities halted arrests connected to the protests, and addressed his concerns about the rising cost of living and reforms to the electoral system. "The case has been withdrawn ... for the sake of peace, dialogue and justice between the accused persons and the state," lawyer Danstan Omari told Reuters. Thousands took part in three marches over the past two…

Apr

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Six dead, 64 missing after boat sinks in Congo’s Lake Kivu

NEWS

SIX people were killed and 64 others were missing after a boat capsized in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Lake Kivu early on Monday, local authorities said. Mustapha Mamboleo, a local official at Idjwi island in the lake, said 150 passengers were aboard the motorised boat travelling from Mugote village on Idjwi island to the eastern city of Goma and 80 of them survived. Mathieu Alimasi Malumbi, the transport minister for South Kivu province, confirmed the incident. "I can confirm that there was a capsizing of a motorboat with more than 100 passengers on board, many of whom were not…

Apr

04

2023

By GABRIELLA OPARA, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Nigeria: Plastic bottles replace school fees

NEWS

WHEN a neighbour recommended Morit International School to Ijeoma Obiora three years ago and told her the tuition was paid not in cash but through plastic bottles, she found it hard to believe. She had never heard of such a thing. Today, her 13-year-old daughter has comfortably settled into the school. Patrick Mbamarah, Proprietor of Morit International School. Photo Courtesy: Patrick Mbamarah “Academically, the school is very good for my daughter, who’s now in JSS 1. Financially, it removes my worries about having to provide education for her on a stringent budget. These days, the first thing I do when…

Apr

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Fourteen miners dead in Sudan, dozens injured in mine collapse

NEWS

FOURTEEN miners have died and more than 20 have been injured in a mine collapse in Sudan's Northern state, a senior official in state-owned Sudanese Mineral Resources Company told Reuters. Part of a mountainside collapsed near the al Jabal al Ahmar mine, located 70kms away from Wadi Halfa city, causing the deadly accident on Thursday, Moataz Hajj Nour told Reuters. Witnesses said miners were digging for gold using heavy machinery which had caused the collapse, according to Sudan News Agency (SUNA) on Thursday. Thomson Reuters Foundation

Apr

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigerians accuse Shell of delay in oil spill London lawsuits

NEWS

SAM TOBIN SHELL Plc is attempting to shield itself from scrutiny over pollution in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta, lawyers representing more than 13,000 Nigerians argued at London's High Court, allegations which the company strongly denies. Thousands of members of the Bille and Ogale communities are suing Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary SPDC over oil spills. Shell strongly denies any liability and argues that parts of the cases were brought too late. It also says the majority of the spills were caused by illegal third-party interference, such as pipeline sabotage and oil theft. The company is asking the High Court to set an initial…

Apr

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Signing of Sudan political agreement delayed to April 6

NEWS

THE signing of an agreement to name a Sudanese civilian government and launch a new transition towards elections was delayed until April 6, a spokesman for the negotiation process said. Khalid Omar Yousif said on Twitter that military and civilian parties have unanimously agreed to "redouble efforts to overcome the remaining obstacle within a few days and pave the way for the signing of the final political agreement on April 6". The accord was originally scheduled to be signed on Saturday but was delayed due to a lack of "consensus on some outstanding issues," Yousif said earlier in the day.…

Apr

05

2023

By The African Mirror

In Africa’s fields, a plan to pay fair wages for chocolate withers

NEWS

ANGE ABOA and MAYTAAL ANGEL IVORIAN cocoa bean farmer Edouard Kouame Kouadio expects to die poor, despite rising demand for the raw material that feeds the world's insatiable appetite for chocolate. More chocolate than ever is eaten globally, but a flagship programme launched in 2019 that promised a living wage to growers like Kouadio in top cocoa producers Ivory Coast and Ghana has left many worse off, data and interviews with growers, traders and industry experts show. Kouadio and more than a dozen Ivorian farmers consulted by Reuters said they were paid well below a price set by the government,…