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United States pledges $45 million to boost coastal security in West Africa

Published

4 months ago

January 23, 2024

Antony Blinken, has pledged $45 million in additional financing to help fight conflict and bring stability to coastal West Africa.

Blinken made the promise during his ongoing African tour, a four-nation tour of Africa taking him to Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Angola from January 21–26. The West African sub-region has challenged by insecurity linked to jihadist insurgencies, which has increased in recent years.

Despite expensive, globally supported military efforts to contain it, Islamist insurgency that began in Mali in 2012 has expanded throughout the Sahel area, affecting many coastal West African nations, including Ivory Coast.

Following a meeting with African leaders in Washington in December 2022, Blinken is expected to address US-Africa collaborations concerning infrastructure, commerce, climate change, health, security, and other matters.

After meeting with President Alassane Ouattara on Tuesday morning, Blinken revealed the additional funding at a joint press conference. Blinken had arrived in the financial hub of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Monday evening.

“We spent a lot of time discussing mutual security challenges,” Blinken said. “We appreciate Ivory Coast’s leadership in the fight against extremism and violence.”

Key topics of discussion during Blinken’s visit include security concerns in West Africa, the aftermath of last year’s coup in Niger, and Russia’s expanding influence in the region.

The US has been keen on re-establishing its waning influence on the continent, with Russia and China proving to be favoured alternatives for most African countries in military and economic relations. In November, a United States Trade Representative, Katherine Tai, during a tour to the continent, also stressed that the country was in search of a “more useful and effective” trade programme with Africa.

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Namibia to receive $138.5 million W’Bank loan

Published

5 days 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

4 weeks 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.