Tag Archives: Benin

Regional

Nigerian Yoruba separatist leader arrested in Benin

Maravi Post Reporter

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Nigeria’s Yoruba separatist leader Sunday Adeyemo has been arrested in Benin, after he was declared wanted for allegedly stockpiling arms.

Mr Igboho was arrested by security forces at an airport in Benin’s capital, Cotonou.

He was reportedly heading for Germany when he was arrested for repatriation.

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) announced that it was pursuing Mr Igboho after fleeing a raid on his residence.

The DSS on July 1, 2021 raided Mr Igboho’s residence, two days after the activist called for anti-government protests.

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The agency said it recovered a cache of arms from Mr Igboho’s house in the raid amid gun battle.

“The gun duel which lasted for an hour offered Igboho the chance to escape,” the agency said in a statement adding that two of Igboho’s men were “gunned down” during the exchange of fire.

Mr Igboho has been actively campaigning for the formation of an independent state of Yoruba in south-western Nigeria.

The separatist leader has denied allegations that he is inciting violence against Fulani herders in southern states.

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Nigerian authorities have in the past arrested the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group, which also supports the secession of the south-east of Nigeria, Kanu.

The Biafra separatist group leader was arrested abroad after four years on the run and brought to Nigeria, where he is facing trial for “terrorism”.

Nigerian has over 200 ethnic groups and a population of 210 million.

The three largest groups in the country are the Hausa-Fulani in the north, the Igbo in the south-east and the Yoruba in the southwest.

Nigerian porn star arrested ‘for filming’ at sacred ground

Source: Africafeeds.com

Source: Africa Feeds

Regional

Benin’s President Talon wins re-election to serve 5 more years

Maravi Post Reporter

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Benin’s President Patrice Talon has been re-elected with 86% of the votes, provisional results released by the national electoral commission shows.

His closest rival, Allasane Soumanou secured about 11.3% while Corentin Kohou came in third with 2.3%, with a voter turnout of 50%.

The final results would have to be announced by the Beninese Constitutional Court.

The election could not be held in 13 of the country’s 546 districts, because of security problems in some areas in the country’s northern and central regions.

President Patrice Talon had previously vowed to serve only one term in office in a West African nation considered by many to be one of the continent’s model democracies.

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Talon in 2017 a year after he was elected in 2016 failed in his attempt to reform his country’s constitution.

Reducing the current two five-year presidential term to just one six-year term was among the reforms he was seeking.

President Talon had said that the current term limit encourages “complacency”.

He was hoping his move will ensure frequent change at the helm of the state and guarantee peace and security.

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But the bill to effect the change was defeated in parliament with a lawmaker Orou Kate at the time saying “The people don’t want this, the president needs to scrap this bill and go back to consult the population.”

Failing to fulfill his promise of serving just one term of six year, President Talon says he needed another term to consolidate the gains of his first.

Talon has been criticized for some of his political reforms that prevent opposition participation in the governance system.

In 2019, all opposition parties were disqualified from running in national assembly elections with his supporters now controlling all 83 seats in the house.

Benin Republic walks back on desire to be Nigeria’s 37th state

Source: Africafeeds.com

Source: Africa Feeds

Regional

Benin President Talon seeks five more years in Sunday’s election

Maravi Post Reporter

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Benin’s President Patrice Talon had previously vowed to serve only one term in office but he now seeks a second term of five more years in Sunday’s election.

He is the favourite to win the race to rule the West African nation considered by many to be one of the continent’s model democracies.

Talon in 2017 a year after he was elected in 2016 failed in his attempt to reform his country’s constitution.

Reducing the current two five-year presidential term to just one six-year term was among the reforms he was seeking.

President Talon had said that the current term limit encourages “complacency”.

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He was hoping his move will ensure frequent change at the helm of the state and guarantee peace and security.

But the bill to effect the change was defeated in parliament with a lawmaker Orou Kate at the time saying “The people don’t want this, the president needs to scrap this bill and go back to consult the population.”

Failing to fulfill his promise of serving just one term of six year, President Talon says he needs another term to consolidate the gains of his first.

“I will be a candidate to strengthen this good governance that we have just acquired, and which allows us to start building up our country,” he said during a tour of southern Benin.

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The only two opposition candidates on the ballot are Alassane Soumanou, a minister under Boni Yayi, and Corentin Kohoue, a veteran politician.

Talon has been criticized for some of his political reforms that prevent opposition participation in the governance system.

In 2019, all opposition parties were disqualified from running in national assembly elections with his supporters now controlling all 83 seats in the house.

Benin is a major West African top cotton exporter with President Talon himself, a multi-millionaire cotton magnate.

Benin Republic walks back on desire to be Nigeria’s 37th state

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Regional

Benin Republic wants to join Nigeria as its 37th state

Maravi Post Reporter

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Benin reportedly is expressing interest to join Nigeria and become its 37th state, according to Nigerian officials.

The Beninoise president, Patrice Talon is said to have made the offer during a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari weeks ago.

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama made the revelation to the Nigerian media after holding a meeting with Beninoise Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Aurélien Agbenonci.

Onyeama said “The President of Benin said as far as they are concerned, they want (not just saying it like that) but in reality, Benin should be the 37th state of Nigeria.”

“They charged us to come together at ministerial level, to work out a framework for a sustainable relationship,” Onyeama added.

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Nigeria is a federal republic of 36 states and a federal capital territory, with a population of over 150 million.

Previous leaders of Benin, a nation of 12 million people, have often expressed a desire to be a part of Nigeria.

Nigeria shares borders to Benin in the west, Chad and Camaroon in the east, and Niger in the north.

Benin is dependent on Nigeria for most of its export. Its economy is primarily based on informal trade with Nigeria.

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A recent closure of borders between Nigeria and Benin sparked outrage among some West African nations due to the impact on their businesses.

Benin President’s attempt to reduce term limit fails

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Regional

Benin Republic walks back on desire to be Nigeria’s 37th state

Maravi Post Reporter

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Benin Republic has officially reacted to news that it wants to join Nigeria and become its 37th state.

Spokesman for the country’s foreign ministry, Ferdinand Nwonye, said Saturday that Benin has never aspired to be part of any country.

The Beninoise president, Patrice Talon was said to have made the offer during a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari weeks ago.

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama made the revelation to the Nigerian media after holding a meeting with Beninoise Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Aurélien Agbenonci.

Onyeama said “The President of Benin said as far as they are concerned, they want (not just saying it like that) but in reality, Benin should be the 37th state of Nigeria.”

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“They charged us to come together at ministerial level, to work out a framework for a sustainable relationship,” Onyeama added.

But Benin is walking back on the said desire to join Nigeria, according to a statement from the country’s foreign affairs ministry.

“The honourable minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama in the presence of his counterpart from the Republic of Benin granted a press interview after a very fruitful meeting between ministerial delegations from both countries,” the ministry’s statement read.

The statement said what the minister meant was that: “… the President of Benin Republic said he would like the relations between the two countries to be so close as if Benin was the 37th State of Nigeria.”

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Nigeria shares borders to Benin in the west, Chad and Camaroon in the east, and Niger in the north.

Benin is dependent on Nigeria for most of its export. Its economy is primarily based on informal trade with Nigeria.

U.S. Police officer charged over fatal shooting of black woman

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Business, Regional

Nigeria reopens borders with neighbours for trade

Maravi Post Reporter
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Nigeria has reopened its land borders with neighbouring countries after closure for months.

The country’s President, Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday approved the immediate reopening of four of Nigeria’s land borders.

The four affected borders are Seme border in South- West, Ilela border in the North- West, Mfun border in the South-South and Maigatari border in the North-West.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed told journalists “Four land borders will be reopened immediately while the remaining borders are directed to be reopened on or before 31st of December.”

But the finance minister said “the ban on importation of rice, poultry and other banned products still subsists and will be implemented by border patrol teams.”

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Nigeria’s decision to close its borders with West African neighbours sparked criticisms in the sub-region.

Other West African countries criticized Nigeria for the move saying it violated commercial and freedom of movement treaties signed under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The closure had a major impact on Benin, a key exporter of foodstuffs to Africa’s most populous country via its port of Cotonou.

But the Nigerian government said it was seeking to bolster domestic agriculture as it looks to diversify the oil-dependent economy.

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West Africa’s new single currency delayed for five years

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Lifestyle, Regional

How WhatsApp is used and misused in Africa

Maravi Post Reporter 1 Comment
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WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in Africa

When I open my phone, I am swamped by news,” says Matthew Stanley, a driver in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. He scrolls through WhatsApp, a messaging service, bringing up a slick video forwarded into his church group. In a tone befitting a trailer for a horror film, the narrator falsely claims that Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s Muslim president, is plotting to kill Christians. Mr Stanley squints at the tiny screen. “I think it’s fake news,” he says. “I need to check the source.”

If only everyone were so sceptical. WhatsApp, which has 1.5bn users globally, is especially influential in Africa. It is the most popular social platform in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. In the West it is common for people to use multiple platforms such as Facebook and Twitter (see Graphic detail) but in African countries, where money is tighter and internet connections patchy, WhatsApp is an efficient one-stop-shop. The ability to leave audio notes makes it popular among illiterate people. But WhatsApp’s ubiquity also makes it a political tool.

African countries notched a 12%-growth in active social media users to 191 million last year, according to a report by global digital agencies, We Are Social and Hootsuite. Of those, mobile users accounted for 172 million, most of whom used only two Facebook-owned platforms: WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

With the exception of a few countries, WhatsApp was easily the most popular platform across Africa, while Facebook Messenger was mostly used across North Africa, Somalia, and Eritrea.
Indeed, WhatsApp has been key to driving internet uptake in Africa. In Zimbabwe, the app was responsible for about half of all internet data last year. Both Facebook and WhatsApp’s over-the-top services have also been responsible for a decline in mobile revenue growth. And Facebook also recently rolled out WhatsApp Business, a standalone app targeting small business owners across Africa, India, and Brazil. E-commerce retailers have also been utilizing it to engage customers and efficiently execute returns and manage failed deliveries.

This growing use of digital platforms is partly thanks to increased internet access. Since Jan. 2017, internet penetration in Africa has gone up by more than 20%, reaching more than 73 million more people. The continent also experienced the fastest growth rates globally, with users in Mali increasing by almost six times and more than doubling in Benin, Sierra Leone, Niger, and Mozambique. Digital optimism, or the percentage of a population that believed new technologies offered more opportunities than risks was also up, especially in Nigeria (80%), Kenya (72%), and South Africa (66%).

Despite this progress, Africa still lagged behind when it came to internet connectivity. In parts of the continent, monthly broadband packages still remained high. In land-locked countries, especially in Central Africa, which are far from cable landing stations, penetration rates remained low. This deficiency in connection continues to hinder the internet’s ability to deliver productivity gains in sectors like financial services, health, and education.

Business, Lifestyle

Malawi Becomes Africa Finance Corporation’s 18th Member State

MaraviPost

Malawi has become the second Southern African member country of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC or the Corporation), Africa’s leading infrastructure development finance institution.The accession of Malawi to AFC’s membership is a progression of the Corporation’s existing investment footprint in the country. AFC had previously acted as Joint Mandated Lead Arranger (MLA) and Lender for a US$60 million commodity trade finance facility to Meridian Consolidated Investments Ltd (Malawi), the integrated agricultural commodities trading group to finance Meridian’s fertilizer importation and sale in four Southern African countries

Malawi’s accession also supports AFC’s membership expansion strategy into Southern Africa, and continued alignment of its country membership with its investment footprint. Malawi, which signed its letter of adherence on 8th March 2018, becomes AFC’s 18th member state. Other member states include: Benin, Cape Verde; Chad; Côte d’Ivoire; Djibouti; Gabon; the Gambia; Ghana; Guinea-Bissau; Guinea-Conakry; Kenya; Liberia; Nigeria; Rwanda; Uganda; Sierra Leone and Zambia.

Cumulatively, the Corporation has to date invested US$4.5 billion in projects across 28 African countries, and in a wide range of sectors including power, telecommunications, transport and logistics, natural resources, and heavy industries.

Andrew Alli, CEO of AFC, commented on the announcement: “We are delighted to welcome Malawi as a member country of the Corporation. Malawi has a rich pipeline of bankable investments in the infrastructure space, and we are looking forward to exploring these opportunities. We are confident our unique business offering across project advisory, project development and financing in our 5-specialist sectors will go a long way towards closing the infrastructure gap in the country”.

Hon. Dr. Goodall Gondwe, Malawi’s Minister of Finance, also commented on the announcement: “Malawi has an abundance of infrastructure projects with huge financial and social potential that will create benefits for all stakeholders, and close the country’s infrastructure gap. We are, therefore, honoured to join AFC, and become a member state of the Corporation. We look forward to further engaging with AFC’s management to support the delivery of critical projects across Malawi”.

 

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Malawi, Regional, Top News

Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima arrives in Benin

Malawi News Agency (MANA)

The Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima arrived safely in Cotonou, Benin Monya afternoon around at 2:00pm.

The Vice President was received at Benin Airport by Benin government officials before meeting Minister of State for Planning and Development, Dr. Abdouleyi Bio Tchane who is second in in command in the Benin government set up.

Dr Chilima and Dr. Bio Tchane will on Tuesday co-chair a high level inaugural meeting of the Malabo Montpellier Forum that discuss issues of fighting hunger and malnutrition in Africa.

The Malabo Montpellier Forum provides a platform for decision makers at the highest level of government to review the evidence on progress that is being achieved on the ground towards meeting key agriculture and food
security goals.

The forum consists of 17 leading African and European experts in agriculture, ecology, nutrition, public policy and global development. The appointment of Vice President Dr. Chilima and the subsequent co-chairing of the meeting is an honour for Malawi because such recognition gives the country an opportunity to be part of the global policy makers.

The Vice President left for Benin on Sunday and returns home on Thursday, December 14 at 12:50 pm through Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe.

Malawi

Malawi Veep ‘Chilima’ leaves for Benin to chair international agriculture forum

Maravi Post Reporter

Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima will on Sunday, leave for Cotonou, Benin to chair an international forum on Agriculture and Food Security on 12th December.

The Vice President will depart at 3: 40 pm through Chileka International Airport in Blantyre.

Vice President Dr. Chilima, who is also Minister for Disaster Management Affairs, was appointed as Champion and Co-chair for the Malabo Montpellier Forum in September 2017.

The Malabo Montpellier Forum provides a platform for decision makers at the highest level of government to review the evidence on progress that is being achieved on the ground towards meeting key agriculture and food security goals.

The forum consists of 17 leading African and European experts in agriculture, ecology, nutrition, public policy and global development.

The appointment of Vice President Dr. Chilima and the subsequent co-chairing of the meeting is an
honour for Malawi because such recognition gives the country an opportunity to be part of the global policy makers.

The Vice President will return home on Thursday, December 14 at 12:50 pm through Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe.