Over 50 migrants attempting to reach Spain by boat from West Africa have drowned, migrant rights group Walking Borders said on Thursday. Moroccan authorities on Wednesday rescued 36 people from a boat that had departed from Mauritania on Jan. 2, the group based in Madrid and Navarra said. The...
West Africa
The Lassa Coalition Governing Entity (LGE) will convene its inaugural meeting on January 16, 2025, to make a significant step towards addressing the recurring threat of Lassa fever in the West Africa region. The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the West African Health Organisation...
Frances’s major military base in Cote d’Ivoire is billed to close down at the end of this month. The long -standing base, Port Bouet, is to be rid of its French troop occupants and is to be renamed General Quattara Thomas d’Aquinn base after an indigenous military figure. No...
French troops will soon begin departing from Ivory Coast, the West African country’s President Alassane Ouattara announced in his New Year address. “We have decided on a coordinated and organised withdrawal of French troops,” said Ouattara in the televised speech. The departure will begin in January, according to the...
The Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, once warned that: “If nothing is done, the effects of terrorism and organised crime in the Sahel region will be felt far beyond the region and the entire African continent.” For almost two decades now, the threat posed by groups, who espouse...
Heads of ECOWAS member states met on Saturday to finalise and approve the design of the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway Development Project preparatory to initiating the procurement process at its next meeting. The meeting which was held in Lagos, was chaired by Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, discussed...
By EZEKIEL OBI, Abuja – The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of Nigeria, General Christopher Musa, and his Nigerien counterpart, General Moussa Barmou, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at enhancing security cooperation between Nigeria and the Niger Republic. This development was disclosed in a statement issued...
GIABA, an inter-governmental action group against money laundering in West Africa, has said Nigeria recorded significant achievements in its war against money laundering and terrorism financing in 2023. GIABA said this in its 2023 annual report unveiled for ambassadors of member states, technical and financial partners on Thursday...
The new Senegalese government has unveiled measures to reduce the price of rice, oil, bread, and other basic items to address cost-of-living concerns amid high unemployment and inflation. The country’s budget Minister Cheikh Diba confirmed the development. Recall that President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who won the March election, vowed...
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has decried the neglect of the education sector, saying Nigeria ranks lowest in education budgets across the West African sub-region. ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said this at a One-Day Workshop on ‘Emerging Areas of Students Needs in Beneficiary Institutions’, organised...
The Commandant, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Accra, Ghana, Maj.-Gen. Richard Gyane, says violent extremism and terrorism (VET) are the biggest threats to the ECOWAS sub region, Africa and humanity. Gyane stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during a mobile...
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it is working to set up a counter terrorism force to tackle security threats within the sub-region. The Commissioner Political Affairs, Peace and Security of ECOWAS, Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, stated this at the opening of a three-day consultative meeting of...
Russia has sent an air defence system and 100 military trainers to Niger Republic in West Africa. Military personnel from the Russian Ministry of Defence are to install the system and train Niger’s soldiers in its use, the Nigerien state broadcaster RTN reported late on Thursday. This was...
By CALLISTUS OFFOR, Abuja – Nigeria Government has called for a coordinated and multilateral approach by the region to protect shared telecommunications infrastructure, and diversify connectivity to ensure uninterruptible connections. NATIONAL ACCORD reports that the call follows the recent undersea cable cuts that challenged connectivities in many...
By CALLISTUS OFFOR, Abuja – A combination of cable cuts, resulting in equipment faults on the major undersea cables along the West African Coast, have negatively impacted data and fixed telecom services in several countries of West Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cote de Ivoire, among others. The Nigerian...
By GRACE AUDU, Abuja – A four-day meeting for the establishment and strengthening of National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) in West Africa opened in Abuja on Monday, with the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, recalling the past experiences of Ebola,...
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said member countries are currently facing a clear and present danger in the form of transnational terrorism. ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, said this at a news conference in Abuja on Friday....
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says the decision to lift sanctions on Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso was based on the need to maintain regional unity and security. President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, said this at the end of the extraordinary session of...
President Bola Tinubu has expressed confidence in the possibility of lasting peace, security and prosperity in the West African region. He said this at the Extraordinary session of the Authority of Heads of States and Government on the Political, Peace and security in ECOWAS region in Abuja, on Saturday....
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders are currently meeting in Abuja to discuss political and economic issues concerning the sub-region. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the leaders would examine ways to address the pulling out of the bloc by Mali, Burkina Faso...