Yar'Adua Should

Nigeria's President Umar Musa Yar'Adua should not wait until he is forced out. After all, he has been out of the country for almost four months, reportedly in a Saudi hospital receiving treatment for a critical heart condition.

An Appeal to MEND

LAST November, barely a month after the Federal Government rounded off its amnesty programme, complaints began about the programme.

The Murderers in CAF

THE just concluded African Nations Cup finals in Angola began on a sad note - for the Togolese national team at least. The bus ferrying the team, players and officials, was callously and brutally attacked by Cabinda rebels in Angola on their way in from their Congo training base. That attack left two Togolese members of the delegation and a third Angolan driver dead.

The Missing 90 Million Litres of Fuel

It is surprising that several weeks after the Federal Government announced that a probe was being conducted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into the 90 million litres of fuel that got missing last December, nothing else has been heard on the matter. This is more so as the strangulating fuel scarcity continues unabated.

Beyond Success Story of Telecoms Sector

The recent revelation by the Vice Chairman/C.E.O. of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr Ernest Ndukwe, that the nation has attracted a whopping N2.7 trillion ($18bn) from direct and foreign investment in the first decade of the telecommunications industry is a welcome development. So far, the country, which is 99.5 per cent wireless, boasts of about 75 million lines, with some 50 million spin-off jobs already created. Similarly, Nigeria is credited as the fastest growing network on the continent and often proudly quoted as a reference point by the International Telecommunications Union, ITU. This is equally heart-warming.

Microsoft launches Vista software in Amharic

US software giant Microsoft has launched Windows Vista in Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia. "Launching the Amharic version software is a major step forward for Amharic to be a language of technology", Director of the Ethiopian ICT Development Agency (EICTDA), Debretsion Gebremichael has said. 40 scholars from the Addis Ababa University…

Stanchart Bank strikes deal with Chinese firm

Standard Chartered Bank and China Unionpay have struck a deal that will enable Unionpay cardholders worldwide access the bank's ATM services in 20 countries in Africa. China has over the last decade become the world's largest investor into Africa, injecting billions of dollars in various projects across the continent. Analysts say no signal…

MCA spreads wings to Zambia, Malawi

United States supported, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCA), has announced its plans to expand its operations in Africa as more countries meet democracy requirements. Africa, which accounts for about 70 percent of the corporation’s total funding of $5.2 billion, has 11 countries where so-called compacts, or programs, are underway. MCA…

I. Coast: Biggest market burnt down

The biggest second hand market - 'Adjame Black Market' - in Abidjan, the capital city of Ivory Coast, was razed down early Saturday morning at about 5:00 am causing extensive damage to hundreds of shops where you can get textiles, clothes, computers, Freezers, mobile phones, building materials, carpentry and handcrafts. It is a sight visited…

Ethiopia: AU focus on hydro project

Continued economic developments across the continent have necessitated the need to expedite the implementation of a massive hydro power project by the African Union (AU). The project dubbed ‘Hydropower 2020’ is an initiative of the African Union that seeks to increase power generation capacity for Africa and enhance socio-economic development…