The ECOWAS emergency Summit on political situation in Burkina Faso on Thursday in Ghana as a wave of coups buffet a region struggling with poverty and a long history of turbulence is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Thursday.
The Punch reports that West African leaders will hold a key summit on Thursday as a wave of coups buffet a region struggling with poverty and a long history of turbulence.
Emergency talks in the Ghanaian capital Accra were triggered after Burkina Faso on January 24 became the third member of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be overtaken by the military.
Burkina followed Mali, where a coup in September 2020 was followed by a second in May 2021, and Guinea, where elected president Alpha Conde was ousted last September.
Adding to the region’s turmoil was a gun attack on Tuesday on the president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, stoking fears that years of efforts to steer West Africa towards stability and democracy are failing.
Thursday’s one-day meeting, scheduled to start at 1000 GMT, will assess the outcome of two missions to Burkina following the coup.
Burkina was suspended from ECOWAS after rebel soldiers arrested President Roch Marc Christian Kabore amid public anger at his handling of a jihadist insurgency.
The question now is whether the country — ranked a wretched 182nd out of 189 countries in the UN’s worldwide development index — will escape economic punishment.
The newspaper says that Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, will on Thursday (today) launch the Integrated Energy Planning Tool, in collaboration with Sustainable Energy for All.
A statement signed by the Director of Communications, SEforAll, Sherry Kenny, said the launch would be held with support from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and The Rockefeller Foundation.
It said the new data-driven, interactive platform would support the country’s ambition of achieving SDG7 – universal energy access – by 2030.
According to the statement, the Nigeria Integrated Energy Planning Tool, powered by extensive geospatial modeling and layers of data, is the first truly integrated energy planning platform that incorporates the requirements for universal residential electrification, institutional electrification, powering of productive uses, and access to clean cooking.
It said the tool would promote a holistic approach to achieving SDG7 and energy development while also supporting local manufacturing, expanding local solar technology value chains, and potentially creating thousands of new jobs in Nigeria’s energy sector.
The interactive tool gives energy developers and investors the data-driven information they need before entering the market, according to the statement. It said it could also provide a blueprint for other African countries to follow, ultimately helping to ensure that everyone on the continent has access to affordable and sustainable energy.
The Guardian reports that the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) in partnership with Dangote Group, has resolved to strengthen the supply chain industry in the country to meet international standards.
This was made known yesterday when the team from the CILT, led by its National President, Mrs. Mfon Usoro, honoured the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote Champion of CILT and his company, Dangote Transport, for their outstanding contributions to supply chain management in the country.
Usoro said it was necessary to involve operators both the public and private bodies like the Dangote Group in the institute’s efforts to position the transport and logistics industry in the country, as it also contributes to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).
She said it was also necessary to strengthen the industry’s capacity to ensure operators know the regulations of the industry to operate a smooth supply chain in the country, which is the bedrock of the institute as the certificates are internationally and locally recognised to operate in various industries.
Usoro said the institute was reviving its corporate membership with notable public and private bodies, adding that Dangote Company has a growing number of CILT members.
The newspaper says that Nigeria is currently wooing foreign investors, especially technology giants, to the country at the maiden LEAP 2022 technology conference and exhibition, organised by the Ministry of Communications and Technology, Saudi Arabia.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, disclosed this to journalists, yesterday, on the sidelines of the event in Riyadh. Pantami’s delegation includes Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),
Prof. Umar Danbatta, and Director-General, National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Inuwa Kashifu Abdullai, among others.
He encouraged Nigerians to have a positive mindset towards everything, especially development, stressing that apart from opportunity to woo investors, the major take away from the event would be the need for optimism in transforming the country whenever the chance arises.
“Whoever comes to Saudi Arabia after about four visits would see the power of positive thinking and transformation that has taken place here, especially in the digital economy sector. Their institutions are no more obsolete. They have become proactive in everything,” he said. He revealed that the delegation met with investors and potential investors, after series of meetings, on how they can come to Nigeria and invest.
ThisDay reports that African tech startups, including those from Nigeria, will benefit from the recently launched Startup Passport initiative by Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO), a Saudi Arabian-based organisation.
Startup Passport makes it quicker, easier and less expensive for startups to do business across borders, opening up potentially lucrative markets in Africa.
DCO launched the initiative yesterday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the venue of the maiden edition of LEAP, a technology conference and exhibition organised by the Ministry of Communications and Technology, Saudi Arabia.
During the launch, DCO Secretary-General, Deema Al-Yahya, explained that the Startup Passport would provide expedited entry and support in the markets of eight DCO countries.
Al-Yahya said the initiative would be rolled out first in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria before extending it to other African countries.
The founding member nations of DCO are Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The DCO is focused on 10 areas (access to connectivity, cross-border data flows, ethical use of technology, digital identity management, data pooling and user privacy, mobility of skilled ICT labour, accelerating startups and SMEs, adoption of emerging technologies, alignment on digital taxation and cooperation on Research and Development (R&D) and innovation).
The Sun says that in its reviewed crude production quota, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Wednesday approved 1,718,000 barrels per day oil production for Nigeria.
This was contained in a press release dated February 2nd, 2022. Saudi Arabia and Russia top the list with 10,331,000 barrels per day.
According to the statement, the organisation has reviewed its production to 41,294,000 barrels per day. Angola’s quota is 1,435,000 barrels per day.
While 10 OPEC nations are to cumulatively produce 25,061,000 barrels per day, the non-OPEC countries have been cleared to produce 16,233,000 barrels per day.
The production quota is effective from March 2022 and springs from decisions at the 25th OPEC and non-OPEC ministerial video conference meeting.
GIK/APA