Musings From Abroad

Court rules Britain/Rwanda migration deal unlawful

Published

1 year ago

June 29, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

A London Court of Appeal has ruled that the British government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful.

The three presiding senior judges on the matter ruled that Rwanda could not be treated as a safe third country.

The British government revealed plans to deport thousands of refugees to the East African country last year in an effort to deter asylum seekers from attempting to cross the English Channel from France in small boats. An agreement worth £148 million includes the initiative.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the British government would attempt to appeal the court’s ruling.

“While I respect the court, I fundamentally disagree with their conclusions,” Sunak said in a statement. “Rwanda is a safe country … We will now seek permission to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court.”

A few human rights organizations and asylum seekers from nations like Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, and Vietnam are contesting the High Court of London’s December finding that the program was valid.

A projected 9.5 million people, or 14.4% of the UK’s population, were foreign-born in 2021. Last year, a record 45,000 migrants, largely from France, crossed the English Channel in small boats. Thus far this year, more than 11,000 people have visited.

Related Topics:Featured Rwanda UK/Rwanda migrant deal

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Musings From Abroad

Ivory Coast’s Ouattara becomes IMF executive board member

Published

7 hours ago

November 2, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Wautabouna Ouattara of Ivory Coast has been appointed as the third director for Sub-Saharan Africa on the executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which strengthens the region’s influence in policy-making by serving as the lender of last resort.

There are now 25 members of the executive board, which is in charge of the fund’s daily operations, thanks to the new role.

“The addition of a third African chair to our Board reflects the continent’s tremendous progress in developing its human and economic potential,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement on Friday.

After an election, an additional regional representative was formally appointed to the board, according to the IMF. It is its first expansion since 1992 when the Soviet bloc broke up and two postings were established for the former Soviet Union nations.

Despite having 18% of the world’s population, Africa’s 54 nations—the largest bloc in terms of number among the IMF’s 191 members—only have 6.5% of voting rights. About half of that comes from Sub-Saharan Africa’s vote portion.

A year ago, in Marrakech, Morocco, the new position for the area on the board was unveiled. However, detractors claim that, while the region struggles with debt, it does not adequately meet its requirements.

As nations like Zambia and Ghana restructured their loans and others, like Kenya, looked to the Fund for greater liquidity support because of rising debt interest obligations, the IMF has been playing an increasingly important role in the management of economies in Sub-Saharan Africa in recent years.

Musings From Abroad

Brazil’s Embraer to invest in Morocco’s aerospace sector

Published

1 day ago

November 1, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Morocco’s industry ministry has announced that Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, Embraer, has reached an initial agreement to invest in the country’s defence and civilian aerospace sectors, including the establishment of a maintenance and repair facility.

According to a Moroccan industry insider who asked to remain anonymous, Embraer’s prospects of obtaining a piece of a recent plane acquisition tender issued by Moroccan airline RAM are expected to increase with the new maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility.

At the opening of the Marrakech Air Show, where the Embraer transaction was finalised, RAM CEO Abdelhamid Addou stated that the company intends to quadruple its fleet to 200 within the next 14 years to solidify its position as a carrier connecting Africa to Europe and the Americas.

Safran, a manufacturer of aircraft engines, and the Moroccan government inked an agreement Monday to construct an MRO plant valued at 130 million euros ($141.14 million).

To emulate its success in auto production, Morocco’s government has recently promoted aerospace suppliers to invest in the nation by establishing hubs to streamline supply chains and exchange knowledge.

With $2.2 billion in exports last year, the nation’s 147 aerospace industrial units produce everything from cables to sophisticated engine parts, supplying international giants like Boeing and Airbus.