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Russia assures Africa of minimal impact after ditching Black Sea deal

Published

10 months 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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Namibia to receive $138.5 million W’Bank loan

Published

2 weeks ago

May 7, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The World Bank has announced that it has granted a $138.5 million loan to assist Namibia in strengthening its transmission network and integrate renewable energy projects into the grid.

Namibia, one of the driest nations in Sub-Saharan Africa with an abundance of sunshine and wind, aims to establish itself as a hub for renewable energy in tandem with the significant offshore oil and gas discoveries that have made the nation a global centre for exploration.

“Namibia is a uniquely positioned regional leader in the transition towards a greener and more sustainable future,” Satu Kahkonen, World Bank country director for Namibia said in a statement.

This will be Namibia’s first World Bank-financed energy project, and the loan will be utilized by the national electricity utility NamPower as it works to wean itself off of electricity imports from neighbouring nations.

Namibia is pursuing a $10 billion green hydrogen project, which, when finished, will be exported to the European Union, in addition to new solar and wind projects.

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Socialist Party accuses Zambian ruling UPND of abducting its candidates

Published

1 month ago

April 13, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Zambian opposition party, the Socialist Party (SP), has accused the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) of masterminding the abduction of its candidate for the Kaunga Ward by-election in Luangwa district of Feira Constituency, Maneya Mwale.

The SP, in a statement in Lusaka, also called on security agencies to arrest the UPND’s Lusaka Province Chairperson, Obvious Mwaliteta, for the alleged abduction of Mwale.

SP’s Vice President, Dr Cosmas Musumali, said Mwaliteta should be arrested together with his District Chairperson, Anderson Banda.

Musumali, who made the call at a media briefing in Lusaka, alleged that Mwaliteta, Banda and other people mentioned kidnapped his party’s candidate.

He also accused the ruling party and President Hakainde Hichilema of being behind such activities that had continued to happen in all the ward elections in the country.

“Those who know this President know that he micromanages everything. He has hands on type of leadership and this kidnapping have not happened once but have been happening, nothing has been done, no one has been arrested, what’s the conclusion, the conclusion is that he is okaying it, he sees nothing wrong with it and the Head of State who swore to uphold the rights and Constitution of Zambia,” Musumali said.

“This is something that can not be done without HH tolerating it, facilitating it and even giving it a go ahead. If it’s done once I would agree with you that some rogue UPND members did it outside his control,” Musumali added.

He also claimed that the UPND was not ready to uphold the democratic tenets of the country and were using all means necessary to win the elections.

“The candidate in Kaunga Ward, like in the other 6 Wards, was abducted during the nominations day, which forced the Socialist Party to look for other candidates and Hichilema has remained silent on such activities,” Musumali noted.

Musumali further called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia to invalidate the nominations for Chikenge and Chisanga wards and set a new date for filling in of nominations.

“We further demand that the Commission should ban the UPND from participating in these two wards due to the crimes committed, which are against the electoral code of conduct,” he demanded.

He expressed that “hell would have broken lose had it been the other way round, and that Socialist Party leader Dr Fred M’membe would have been called all sorts of names by the UPND and their surrogates.”

“This is the winning formular for the UPND, kidnapping, abductions have become child’s play for them, they are endangering people’s lives, you have the audercity to abduct a 22 years old girl and pointing a gun to her head,” Musumali said.