Musings From Abroad

US Deputy Treasury Secretary Adeyemo to visit South Africa next week

Published

9 months ago

March 8, 2024

According to a Treasury spokeswoman, United States Deputy Treasury Secretary, Wally Adeyemo, will travel to South Africa next week. The visit is scheduled despite recent strains in their relations, as the US hopes to strengthen economic ties there.

According to the spokesperson, Adeyemo’s tour will cover topics such as U.S. sanctions, work against wildlife trafficking, investments in young leaders and entrepreneurs, sustainable energy transition, and illicit finance.

Among the people he will be meeting with during the March 11–15 trip are students, business executives, and peers in government, according to the spokesman. Visits to Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town are planned throughout the trip.

The journey coincides with strained relations between Washington and the most developed nation in Africa for the previous 24 months.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, representatives from the United States and Europe have made an effort to mobilise African states against Moscow’s actions. However, the majority of African states have refrained from choosing a side.

The perceived strong relations between Russia and South Africa, a significant commercial partner of the United States in Africa, have caused dispair in Washington, even though Pretoria has professed its neutrality.

Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the US and its allies have slapped a wide range of sanctions on the country, targeting its financial sector, military industrial base, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to the spokeswoman, Adeyemo will talk about sanctions during the visit, especially recent adjustments to the Zimbabwe sanctions programme. He will also attend an interagency discussion on combating illicit finance on Thursday and meet with counterparts in government while in South Africa. Also, he will participate in a roundtable discussion about efforts to combat wildlife trafficking with representatives from the public, business, and non-governmental organizations.

Relationships are further strained because South Africa is one of the most vocal opponents of Israel’s Gaza offensive. South Africa has accused Israel of state-led genocide in the Palestinian enclave in a case it has launched before the International Court of Justice; Washington has dismissed this accusation as unfounded.

Related Topics:Featured South Africa Wally Adeyemo

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Musings From Abroad

Nigeria, India to strengthen counterterrorism, maritime security cooperation

Published

2 days ago

November 18, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

During a state visit to Nigeria on Sunday, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra, Modi reached an agreement, on behalf of his country, to strengthen cooperation in counterterrorism, intelligence, and maritime security.

President Bola Tinubu invited Modi to visit Nigeria, the first Indian prime minister to do so in 17 years.

Tinubu is looking for investments from some of the largest economies in the world.

In addition to discussing economic development, defence, healthcare, and food security, Modi and Tinubu met at the presidential mansion on Sunday after arriving in the capital, Abuja, on Saturday night, according to a joint statement.

The two nations decided to work together to protect maritime trade routes and fight piracy in response to the mounting risks in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea.

The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria, is looking to attract more Indian investment and lower-cost credit lines in order to strengthen its economy and generate employment.

Nigeria announced last year that it had obtained about $14 billion in pledges from Indian businesses, including Jindal Steel and Power, which promised to spend $3 billion in Nigeria’s steel industry, during the G20 conference.

Over 200 Indian businesses are present in Nigeria.

Modi was scheduled to go to Brazil for this year’s G20 conference after Nigeria.

Nigeria and India have a long-standing and cordial bilateral relationship. Nigeria, home to more than 200 million people, and India, home to 1.3 billion people, are both sizable emerging nations with multilingual, multiethnic, and multireligious communities.

Musings From Abroad

Military advisors from Russia arrive Equatorial Guinea

Published

3 days ago

November 17, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Russian military advisors are in Equatorial Guinea training indigenous soldiers.

Anonymous sources cited by Reuters during the week claim that between 100 and 200 Russian instructors are training with elite guards in charge of guarding the President and the first family.

The males had been seen in Malabo, the country’s capital, and Bata, its second city. Reports of Russian forces stationed in the nation initially appeared in August.

Oil-rich Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has maintained close relations with Moscow.

Nguema travelled to Moscow in September to attend the Russian Energy Week International Forum.

Russia has strengthened military connections with African countries, sending advisors and combat soldiers to the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

Faced with an Islamist terrorist insurrection, three Sahel countries have turned to Moscow for support, expelling French and American troops.