Category: General

The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia to China, Awale Kullane, participated in the global conference on ‘China-Africa Studies’ held in Beijing, the capital city of China.

The conference, which was jointly organized by the Chinese Academy of History and the China-Africa Institute, brought together scholars and experts from China and Africa.

During the conference, Ambassador Kullane highlighted the importance of the historical ties between Somalia and China, and emphasized the need for further cooperation between the two countries in areas such as cultural exchange and diplomatic relations.

‘The relationship between Somalia and China dates back to the 15th century, when Admiral Zheng He visited the city of Mogadishu. Since then, our two countries have worked together in trade, politics, and peacebuilding, culminating in the strong partnership we enjoy today,’ said the Ambassador in his speech.

In addition, Ambassador Kullane also discussed the important role played by the China-Africa Institute and the Chinese Academy of History in promoting academic research and exchange between China and Africa, and their contribution to the global conference on China-Africa Studies.

Source: Somali National News Agency

Somali Security Forces killed 44 Al-Shabaab terrorist militants including senior commanders after conducting a special operation at Ali Fuuto location near Kurtowarey district in lower Shabelle region, SONNA reported Saturday.

Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Abdirahman Yusuf Adala told Somali National News Agency that forces of the National Intelligence and Security Agency and International Partners jointly carried out the operation against the terrorists.

‘Our Intelligence, NISA and International Partners destroyed the terrorist strong-holds where they were regrouping at the time of the special operation’, Adala said.

He added that the Somali Government is committed to eradicating the terrorists’ hide-outs in lower Shabelle and the rest of the country.

The operation comes days before the Government plans to launch the second phase of the total war on the group fighters in the southwest and southern parts of the country.

Somali National Army backed by regional forces and International Partners killed over 3,000 terrorist militant group of Al-Shabaab in Middle Shabelle, Hiiraan, Mudug, lower Shabelle and Jubba region during operations in the past 7 months.

Source: Somali National News Agency

The Minister for Internal Security of the Federal Government of Somalia, Mohamed Sheikh Ali (Doodishe), participated in the launch of the cross-border land management project between Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia, which took place in Kenya.

‘This is an important initiative that will contribute to maintaining peace and stability in border regions shared by the three countries,’ said the Minister for Internal Security.

Mr. Ali stated that the project aims to improve the livelihoods of people living in border regions, reduce conflict, and create economic opportunities.

The program launch was attended by the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, the Governor of Mandera, the Kenyan Minister of Interior, the Ethiopian Minister of Peace, the Somali Ambassador to Kenya, and other officials.

Source: Somali National News Agency

The Ethiopian Airlines Group disclosed that it is undertaking various activities to double the number of its planes and destinations by the year 2035 with the goal to become one of the best 20 global airlines.

Ethiopian inaugurated flights to the most populous city of Pakistan, Karachi on Monday.

The flight that carried high level Ethiopian government delegation received a warm welcome by Pakistani Government officials upon arrival at Karachi International Airport.

The flight is the 37th destination of Ethiopian Airlines in Asia and connects Addis Ababa and Karachi four times a week.

International Flights Service Sales Managing Director at the Ethiopian, Mesfin Biru told ENA that the resumption of flight to Pakistan after 20 years of interruption is expected to further strengthen Pakistan’s relations with countries in Africa and Asia.

The contribution of the flight to enhancing investment, trade, tourism and people-to-people contact between Pakistan and Africa is immense, he added.

According to him, the airlines is working to expand its leading role in Africa’s aviation sector to international level.

It is undertaking various activities to double the number of its planes and destinations by the year 2035 with a goal to become one of the best 20 airlines across the globe, Mesfin said.

He stated that the multiple award-winning Airlines will also launch additional flights to Copenhagen, Atlanata, and Abijan in this month.

“According to the vision, by the year 2035 the airlines will become one of the best 20 airlines across the globe. The number of its planes will increase to more than 247. The current destinations will also be doubled.”

Mesfin further stated that other activities will also be carried out in terms of strengthening the cargo services and other expansion measures.

“We are working on the vision by expanding the destinations like this one in Karachi. Our plane is to open six destinations every year. And by making these efforts Ethiopian is playing its role to help the economy in Ethiopia and Africa.”

Gulf, Middle East and Asia Region Director, Solomon Bekele for his part said Ethiopian is a leading airline that has been connecting Pakistan with Asian and African countries.

The Airlines will further intensify its ongoing efforts to address the demands of international passenger and cargo customers, he pointed out.

Ethiopian is adding new destinations around the world and is currently flying to 145 domestic and international destinations on 5 continents.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola says state governments will now be feeding and accommodating inmates in their states.

He said this followed the recent consultational amendment which placed Correctional Services on the concurrent list.

Aregbesola gave the insight while speaking at a two-day High-Level Conference on Decongestion and Corrections Management, on Thursday in Abuja.

“This simply means that states are now empowered to establish their own Correctional Services and facilities.

“States which do not have correctional facilities would have to pay the Federal Government for the feeding and accommodation of their inmates,” the minister said.

According to him, this is a huge relief to the Federal Government which used to shoulder the burden of accommodating and feeding inmates.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in 2023, the Federal Government had earmarked N22.44 billion to feed inmates across 244 correctional facilities in the country.

The minister lamented that the huge amount was draining the coppers of the Federal Government.

“These facilities are being run by the Federal Government. It should be noted that the criminal justice system of Nigeria makes provision for state and federal offences.

“However, until the amendment of the Constitution, only the Federal Government was in charge of custodial centres.

“With the amendment of the Constitution, states are now empowered to build correctional centres and facilities to house offenders who are convicted and sentenced for committing state offences.

“Where states are unable to build custodial centres, it is believed that they can suggest ways to collaborate with the Federal Government in feeding and housing these state offenders,’’ he added.

Aregbesola said that the conference had brought to the fore, applicable laws to aid the reform of correctional services, including custodial and non-custodial measures .

He said that Section 12 (4-12) of the NCoS Act, gave the Service the powers to reject inmates when custodial centres are full.

“By the provision of the Act, the Controller-General, NCoS, is mandated to inform the head of the judiciary of when the custodial centres have exceeded their capacity.

“This is necessary, so that more offenders are not sent to the centres to serve their sentence. Where his information is not heeded, he is mandated to reject new inmates.

“It is hoped that the above measure will curb the dumping tendencies leading to overcrowding of the custodial centres.

“This will be by encouraging the payment of fines for simple offences, non-custodial sentencing and also building and construction of new correctional facilities,’’ the minister said.

The Controller General, Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Haliru Nababa said that the sad cases of jail breaks had claimed the lives of of officers and inmates, and escape of prisoners.

Nababa said that the trend, posed a grave threat to the sovereignty and prosperity of the country.

“However, we are not resting on our oars to ensure that we stem the tide.

“We have stepped-up security in and around our Custodial Centres by fortification of access controls.

“We have increased the capacity of our Armed Squad Personnel through specialized training and deployment of high caliber weapons.

“We have up scaled our use of technology for security, with the improvement of the Correctional Information Management System for inmates’ biometric capturing to cover more formations.

“In like manner, a Situation Room has been established at the National Headquarters to enable real-time monitoring of Custodial Centres in phases.

“Similarly, we have continued to improve collaboration with sister security agencies at strategic, tactical and operational levels,’’ Nababa said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has expressed readiness to support green manufacturing to ameliorate the negative impacts of their production activities on the environment.

Otunba Francis Meshioye, President, MAN, said this at the maiden edition of MAN Strategic Dialogue Session on Environment and Green Manufacturing in partnership with Natural Eco Capital on Thursday in Lagos.

Meshioye, describing green manufacturing as the current global phenomenon said MAN was committed to guiding its members to make significant progress in this regard.

To achieve this, he said, that the association in January created the Environment and Green Manufacturing Unit with the responsibility of stirring awareness among MAN members on climate change issues and Environmental Management System.

He said the unit in providing members with strategies and necessary information needed to drive environmental sustainability was set to collaborate with relevant institutions and international agencies in achieving its mandates.

“This novel unit amongst other things would guide and encourage seamless transition of members manufacturing processes through the assistance of relevant agencies and organisations to an eco-friendlier production environment.

“This can be achieved through the utilisation of leading technologies and practices on the environment and create mechanisms for sustainable development.

“It will be supporting and facilitating the adaptation of clean and renewable energy by manufacturers while encouraging them to build and develop capacity in environment and green manufacturing,” he said.

In his keynote address, the Director-General, National Environmental Standards Regulations and Enforcement Agency, Prof. Aliyu Jauro, noted that air quality had become a major concern in many parts of the world.

This, Jauro said, led to the need for growing awareness to address air pollution and its impact on public health and the environment.

He said that Nigeria, like many other countries, was already experiencing the impacts of climate change such as increasing temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and more frequent and severe extreme weather events (floods and droughts).

Jauro, however, said that Nigeria had since taken steps to implement climate mitigation and adaptation measures, including the development of renewable energy sources and sustainable land-use practices.

“Since the ratification of the Paris Agreement, Nigeria has been very forthcoming in turning ambitions into implementable policies and aligning its environmental regulatory regime with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

“There is the need to prioritise the implementation and enforcement of environmental regulations, as well as the development of policies and incentives to promote a low-carbon economy.

“Industries switching to cleaner technologies and transitioning to low-emission development are indispensable for achieving sustainable economic growth through pathways that yield reduced greenhouse gas emissions and other social, economic, and environmental benefits,” he said.

Dr Eugene Itua, the Chief Executive Officer, Natural Eco Capital, said that the adoption of sustainable manufacturing was with enormous benefits and could engender competitiveness and a more resilient economy.

Itua noted that there was a spectrum of efforts to be made toward sustainable manufacturing such as the use of renewable materials, modification of production processes, and use of reusable, biodegradable products.

“Industries must change their manufacturing process to minimise waste, conserve raw materials, and capture and reuse waste materials.

“We must also utilise new technologies involves incorporating more environmentally responsible technologies and equipment into your production process,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has dispatched assorted food items to the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan to cater for stranded Nigerians waiting to be evacuated to Nigeria from Sudan.

This is contained in a statement signed by the spokesperson of the agency, Mr Manzo Ezikiel on Thursday in Abuja.

Mustapha Ahmed, the Director-General of the agency, explained that the food items are meant to cater for the Nigerian citizens who are awaiting evacuation.

The items consist of 100 bags of rice, 50 bags of beans, 10 cartons of seasoning, 50 cartons of spaghetti and 5 bags of iodized salt.

He said that the items had since been transported to Port Sudan via a TARCO aircraft which brought 123 stranded Nigerians to Abuja at about 12:25 p.m.

This brings a total number of 2,246 stranded Nigerians evacuated to the country from the war-ravaged country.

According to him the evacuation exercise is still in progress as efforts are being made to engage more Nigerian airlines to strengthen the process of transporting more Nigerians willing to come back home.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Umar Yakubu, the Executive-Director, Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTiW), has called on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to raise the bar in the fight against corruption to save the economy from collapse.

Yakubu made the call in Abuja on Thursday at a workshop/presentation of the Transparency and Integrity Index methodology handbook on anti-corruption.

He said the handbook was expected to promote transparency, develop strong preventive mechanisms against corruption.

Yakubu added that the handbook would assist public institutions to improve their performance across the various indicators used for ensuring compliance to public regulations.

“The Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) methodology, therefore, employs a six parameter indices to benchmark the performances of MDAs toward good governance in certain critical areas.

“They are website integrity, fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, budget implementation, inclusion and citizens engagement, as well as human resources,” he said.

Yakubu noted that the purpose of the programme was to draw the attention of government at federal, state and local level, of the criteria set out to promote transparency in governance across five major thematic areas.

“When we started in 2021, the highest score was 32. 9 out of 100 marks but in 2022, the Development Bank of Nigeria scored 52, so if you can get 20 percentage increase within one year, I think it is a good development.

“But, a lot of other agencies are not doing so well but with this kind of engagement, we expect them to improve.

“What we assess is the availability of the information on the website, and we are collaborating with other CSOs on anti corruption to ensure that the information being put out is actually true.

“The impact of this workshop on the economy is the prevention of corruption, because we have enough institution combating corruption and we can prevent it before it happens which is a lot cheaper.

“Prosecuting corruption is not cheap and most of the time, it is difficult to get the assess to recovery, so the whole message is about prevention of corruption which cascades into good governance,” Yakubu said.

Mr Dasuki Arabi, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reform (BPSR), in his assessment of MDAs said that they would continue to work with CeFTiW to deepen transparency and accountability across public institution.

Arabi said the workshop was aimed at acquainting participants with the requirements necessary for them to discharge their duties creditably, as well as ensure the principles of accountability and transparency in their respective organisations.

“The Bureau drew her inspiration to partner with the CeFTIW on the Transparency and Integrity Index (TII), based on her strategic role as a driver of Public Service Reforms across MDAs.

“Public Financial Management of the National Strategy for Public Service Reforms seeks to achieve strategic, efficient and effective mobilisation, allocation and use of public resources as well as ensure fiscal discipline, transparency, integrity and accountability through timely reporting.

“This position is also reinforced by the BPSR role as a member of various Inter– Ministerial Anti-Corruption Agencies, and the underlying objective of driving public engagement in line with its statutory role in the implementation of this objective.

“It is also informed in the quest to put in place machineries and institutional arrangements aimed at providing a common vision and long-term agenda to position the country among major player in the global economy in year 2050

“This workshop/presentation of Transparency and Integrity Methodology Index Handbook is coming at the backdrop that during the 2022 Transparency and Integrity Index, it was evident that most Public Institutions were yet to be versatile with the parameters used for ranking.

“This is owing to low– level of awareness and compliance levels in the parameters used for ranking amongst MDAs,” Arabi said.

Amb. Angela Nworgu, BoT Chairman, CeFTiW, said that transparency must be embraced as an essential principle of good governance.

Nworgu noted that transparency was an important tool with which citizens use to hold government accountable, promote trust in government, and foster a thriving ground for integrity.

“The TII serves as a powerful tool to promote transparency, monitor public sector expenditure, and strengthen the integrity mechanisms of public institutions.

“And through this assessment, we hope to make a long-lasting impact in fostering a culture of openness and accountability within the public sector,” Nworgu said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria