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Russia assures Africa of minimal impact after ditching Black Sea deal

Published

1 year ago

July 22, 2023

Russia has insisted that African countries will not suffer much from its decision not to renew the Black Sea deal which expired on Monday.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Vershinin, told journalists those countries would not lose out.

“We will be ready to reimburse the countries in most need with the approximate amount of grain that passed last year under the Black Sea Initiative,” he said. “And we are ready to do it”.

“These concerns from African countries are not only understandable and will be fully taken into account, because as far as grain supplies are concerned… I just gave you a figure that was just over 900,000 metric tons.

“For the most needy countries, this volume, of course, is not so big. And, of course, contacts are being made. Efforts are being made so that they do not feel any negative consequences.”

The Black Sea grain agreement contributes to the stabilization of the world’s spiralling food costs and works to ensure that Russian food and fertilizer reach international markets. The programme expressly permits commercial exports of food and fertilizer, including ammonia, from the three important Black Sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi in Ukraine.

The agreement came to an end on Monday, and Russian President, Vladimir Putin maintained while speaking with South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa in a telephone conversation last week that Moscow was free to decide whether to renew it or not because the conditions to lower export restrictions on Russian food and fertilizer had not yet been completed.

The war has driven up the global cost of food and energy, as the two countries are significant producers of staple foods. The World Food Programme (WFP), which provides food assistance to 115.5 million people in more than 120 countries, receives a significant portion of its wheat supply from Ukraine. As the second-biggest producer of natural gas, Russia is also one of the top three producers of crude oil globally.

While countries like Algeria and Nigeria have benefited from the war by receiving higher patronage for their gas resources from some of Russia’s buyers boycotting Moscow, Africa has collectively suffered the most from the food situation.

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Ivory Coast to create $500 million green financing fund

Published

17 hours ago

November 17, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Ivory Coast will establish a $500 million green financing fund to assist sustainable growth, the IMF said.

Africa’s 54 countries have been worst hit by climate change, although emitting less pollution than developed nations. They get only 1% of yearly global climate financing.

The African Green Banks Initiative aims to develop a $1.5 billion ecosystem of green investment facilities by 2030, including Ivory Coast’s new facility.

The Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate Fund, the Ivory Coast government, multilateral development banks, development finance organisations, and possible private sources will all contribute to the facility’s capitalisation.

The leading cocoa-growing country in the world, West Africa, has been drafting new legislation to help other green finance projects, such as a body to regulate carbon credit management.

The consequences of climate change have disproportionately affected Africa, making cyclones, floods, and droughts worse in recent years.

A 30-month, $1.3 billion loan agreement for Ivory Coast under the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility was authorised by the executive board in March.

According to the IMF, the funding agreement will help the Abidjani administration implement its pledge to lessen the negative consequences of climate change.

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1,172 Nigerians killed, over 1,000 kidnapped in nine months— NHRC

Published

4 days ago

November 14, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has put the figures of Nigerians killed and kidnapped by non-state actors from January to September 2024, at 1,172 and 1,463 respectively.

A new data released on Wednesday by the organization reveal that the month of May saw the 298 persons killed, making it the highest, while March recorded the highest number of abductions with 499 kidnappings.

These data which was presented at a workshop on the state of human rights in Nigeria by the commission and the European Union, in Abuja, attributed the rise in kidnappings, killings and child abandonment in Nigeria to the negligence and failure of the state to protect its citizens.

While presenting the data, NHRC Senior Human Rights Adviser, Hillary Ogbonna, gave a breakdown of what he described as the alarming rise in human rights abuses, including kidnappings, killings and child abandonment.

“By January 2024, we already had 150 kidnappings and 55 killings associated mainly with non-state actors. What has become the norm is the killing of law enforcement officers,” Ogbonna said.

“We started with seven policemen killed in January. From victims’ perspectives, we had quite a number of victims for human rights violations for January.”

Also speaking at the event, the NHRC Executive Secretary in Nigeria, Tony Ojukwu, said:

“In recent years, we have witnessed alarming trends and threats against those who dare to speak the truth to power.

“It serves as a stark reminder that the protection of human rights is an ongoing struggle that requires continuous vigilance, action and cooperation from all sectors of the society,” Ojukwu said.

A delegation from the EU which also made a presentation, reiterated its commitment to support Nigeria to overcome these challenges, while urging the Federal Government to work with the armed forces to end this trend.

“The European Union will continue to work around the world through diplomacy,” the Head of EU Delegation, Zissimos Vergos, said.h