Borders
Nigerian government exempts Dangote from border closure – report
The Nigerian government has allowed Dangote Cement to resume exports across its land borders, Bloomberg reports. This is despite the closure of all land borders by the government for over one year. The move has, however, raised hopes that Nigeria may be opening up trade with neighbors after a year-long blockade. The administration of the President Muhammadu Buhari gave its authorisation for Africa’s biggest producer to export cement to Niger and Togo in the third quarter for the first time in ten months, Michel Puchercos, chief executive officer, said on an investor call in Lagos. The export was made possible “through authorisation given by this administration,” he said. The exemption to Dangote Cement is seen as a softening of the government’s position on a border closure that started in ...
WHO harps on virus prevention plans
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has emphasised the need for effective COVID-19 prevention plans as countries reopen their economies and borders. Its Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, gave the advice during a news briefing from Geneva on Monday. Ghebreyesus said he had observed the eagerness of countries to “get their economies going again”, eight months into the coronavirus pandemic. According to him, if countries are serious about opening, they must prioritise the suppression of transmission and safety of lives. He warned that opening up without efficient and effective prevention measures in place was “a recipe for disaster”. Ghebreyesus said this might seem an impossible balance, but it could be done if countries were in control of the transmission. “The more control they have...
Egypt’s army ‘rational’ among strongest in region – president
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday that the Egyptian army is one of strongest in the region but it is “a rational army,” the Egyptian presidency said. Sisi’s remarks came during his inspection visit to the air forces combat units in the Western Military Zone, accompanied by the defense minister and the chief of staff, said Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady in a statement. The Egyptian president said that the Egyptian army “protects rather than threatens,” stressing that it is able to protect the country’s national security inside and outside the Egyptian borders, according to the statement. Egypt‘s Western Military Zone includes the borders with neighboring war-torn Libya, which has been mired in a civil war since late 2014. Get more stories like this on Twi...
Nigeria’s president urges farmers to increase food production
President Muhammadu Buhari has advised Nigerian farmers to increase their food production as Nigeria has ‘no money’ for food importation. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, Nigeria has restricted food importation as the country strived to produce a lot of the food it consumes. The country also shut its borders with neighbouring countries, largely to prevent the importation and smuggling of items such as rice, poultry and petrol. The borders are still shut but were also closed to human traffic following the coronavirus pandemic, although smuggling and other illegal activities still go on with the connivance of corrupt security officials. Buhari gave his advice to the farmers while addressing journalists after observing this year’s ‘Eid’ prayer at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, on Sunda...
Nigerian government warns against recycling of face masks
The Federal Government has warned Nigerians against the continued resort to recycling and sharing of face masks in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, saying such actions would only fuel more infections. The government equally tasked state governments on the need to align their policies with those at the federal level, reminding them that the virus does not respect boundaries or status. It also added that the recent rapid diagnostic test kits procured by the Kogi State Government have a high margin of error and are therefore unreliable. These were disclosed on Tuesday in Abuja during the daily briefing of the Presidential Taskforce PTF on Covid-19. Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Mr. Boss Mustapha, said except for fabric masks, every disposable mas...
