Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has predicted that the country’s economy will grow in leaps and bounds in 2025 due to the reforms put in place by President Bola Tinubu.

Shettima, who made the projection at a retreat organized for presidential aides in Abuja, gave reasons for his optimism, citing economic improvements recorded so far, including crude oil production reaching 1.8 million barrels per day.

Shettima emphasized that despite the challenges confronting Nigeria, the nation’s economy was on the path to growth due to Tinubu’s policies and determination to transform the economy for the benefit of all Nigerians.

“President Bola Tinubu is determined to change the fortunes of the nation. We all want to bequeath to the younger generation a united and progressive country,” Shettima said.

He emphasized that though the Nigerian economy is facing challenges, the current government is doing everything possible to turn things around.

“Yes, the economy has faced and is still facing challenges, but we have turned the corner. As of now, we are producing 1.8 million barrels of oil per day. The economy is on an upward trajectory, and I believe that in the new year, the economy will grow in leaps and bounds.”

“The country is greater than all of us. I urge you all to work as a team and as a family.”

A major step forward in Africa’s response to the continuing epidemic was taken Thursday when the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) revealed that it had endorsed Morocco’s locally created mpox test.

A “major milestone” for African public health systems, the new real-time PCR test can identify mpox pathogen DNA in tissue, saliva, and blood samples, improving the continent’s capacity to address new health risks.

The Africa CDC announced the clearance on X (previously Twitter), highlighting the validity and effectiveness of Morocco’s mpox test.

The support is in line with the African Union’s overarching goal of enhancing public health self-sufficiency in order to anticipate and effectively address disease risks.

This development follows three months ago when the Africa CDC declared the mpox epidemic to be a public health emergency.

Previously known as monkeypox, mpox is a disease that infects animals and people by intimate personal contact. Symptoms include fever, muscular pains, and characteristic skin lesions.

Alongside the CDC’s work, Abbott Molecular Inc.’s Alinity m MPXV assay, the first mpox diagnostic test, was authorised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last month.

This diagnostic tool provides an additional means of monitoring and managing the virus by identifying mpox from swab samples.

Approximately 1,100 people have died and over 50,000 instances of mpox have been recorded throughout Africa this year, with Central Africa experiencing the highest number of cases and fatalities.