Africa Business Radio

A new report says six African countries are investing heavily in the latest surveillance technology to spy on activists, business competitors, journalists, and other governmentsThe Institute of Development Studies, which published the report, identified Nigeria as the biggest spender, with more than $127m invested in surveillance-related activities and equipment in 2017.The report says Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, and Sudan have also made significant investments in surveillance technology.It added Internet signal interception, citizens surveillance, and internet eavesdropping often happens despite laws granting the right to privacy of communication and correspondence.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has assured that Nigeria would meet the three million barrels per day quota allocated to the country by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.Sylva says though the country currently produced about 1.3 million barrels per day, concerted efforts were being made to increase production to meet the OPEC quota.The minister says the Federal Executive Council had mandated the ministry to meet the three million barrels per day production within the shortest time possible.Sylva also disclosed that the rehabilitation of Port-Harcourt Refinery and Petrochemical Company was on course, adding that soon, that of Warri and Kaduna would commence as well.

Rivers State Governor, Mr Nyesom Wike, says that the state was not at war with the federal government or any of its agencies. The clarification followed insinuations in some quarters about hostility between the two tiers of government in the wake of the legal dispute over who is authorised to collect Value Added Tax in the state.The governor says there is no desire or any intention of the Rivers State government to fight the federal government, but in a federal system, the states are not houseboys of the federal government.

President Muhammadu Buhari will depart for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to participate in the investment conference organised by the Future Investment Initiative Institute.The President will be joined at the 5th edition of the flagship investment event by business executives from Nigeria, bankers, Captains of industry and energy experts to discuss issues on the future of investments across the globe.The three-day event, with the theme, INVESTMENT IN HUMANITY, which will host global executives and asset managers, will deliberate on progress and prosperity with energy; true final frontiers in investments; science in action

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari says Nigeria will not be cowed to jettison oil and gas, the nation’s chief revenue earner, in the rush to achieve cleaner and sustainable energy.He says Nigeria must strike a balance between achieving financial security, a critical driver of the nation’s survival as well as energy security and sustainability.Kyari noted that such a balance was necessary considering the fact that Nigeria depends largely on income from oil and gas.Kyari says it would be unwise for the country to abandon its main source of revenue just to achieve cleaner or sustainable energy.

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu says the final report of the Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution in the state was being awaited, assuring that his government would disclose the report fully to members of the public.The Governor says the panel report would be helpful in strengthening true reconciliation and preventing the re-occurrence of violence in the State.Sanwo-Olu says the panel was set up to look into allegations of human rights abuses against the police and also determine the cause of coordinated attacks on Lagos, noting that the panel’s final report would be fully implemented.

The Federal Government has disbursed no fewer than N38 billion in loans to support Small and Medium Scale Enterprises over the past four years.Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, lamented that the global COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sharp drop in income of most families in the country, as well as economies of the world.Osinbajo also noted that employment has taken a dive, especially as the pandemic largely affected young people who make up the majority of the workforce.He says the Federal Government has ensured that its social and entrepreneurial programmes have an affirmative component for the female folks.

Moscow’s mayor ordered the city’s first coronavirus restrictions since the summer, as Russia registered 1,015 daily COVID deaths.The government is considering keeping people off work for a week to reduce social contact in a bid to lower the tide of infections.President Vladimir Putin is expected to decide on Wednesday which government measures put to him should be implemented to curb the spread of the virus across the country.Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin ordered unvaccinated over-60s in the capital to work from home and extended mandatory vaccinations for service workers. Sobyanin also told employers to move 30 per cent of their staff to home working.

Many scientists are pressing the British government to reimpose social restrictions and speed up booster vaccinations as coronavirus infection rates, already Europe’s highest, rise still further.The United Kingdom recorded 49,156 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the largest number since mid-July. New infections averaged 43,000 a day over the past week, a 15 per cent increase compared with the week before.The Office for National Statistics estimated that one in 60 people in England had the virus, one of the highest levels seen in Britain during the pandemic.Masks and social distancing are gone in most settings in England, including schools, though other parts of the UK remain a bit more strict.

The European Commission’s chief executive warned Poland that its challenge to the supremacy of European Union law called into question the very foundations of the 27-nation bloc and could not go unpunished.Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled last week that parts of EU law are incompatible with the Polish constitution, undermining the legal pillar on which the union stands and raising fears that Poland could eventually leave the bloc.Poland’s ruling nationalist Law and Justice party says it has no plans for a Polexit and - unlike Britain before its Brexit referendum in 2016 - popular support for membership of the EU remains high in Poland.

South Africa’s health products regulator, Sahpra, has withheld approval for Russia’s Sputnik V Covid vaccine over concerns that it could increase the risk of HIV infection among men.The decision was based on two earlier studies that tested the safety of a modified form of adenovirus contained in the Russian jab.The Gamaleya Institute, which developed Sputnik V, says it would produce information to show that Sahpra's concerns were completely unfounded.Sahpra says its concerns followed consultations with local and international experts.

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has formed a crisis cell to resolve what he has called the country's most dangerous political crisis since the 2019 military coup, state news agency Suna reported.Mr Hamdok announced the committee, which includes members of opposing political blocs, during an emergency cabinet meeting in Khartoum on Monday.He called for restraint and dialogue to end weeks of political tensions that have threatened to derail the country's transition to democracy.Sudan is currently run by a joint military-civilian Sovereign Council in a coalition that was troubled by a failed 5 September coup attempt.

A UN report warned that more than 100 million extremely poor people in Africa are threatened by accelerating climate change that could also melt away the continent’s few glaciers within two decades,.Commissioner for rural economy and agriculture at the African Union Commission, Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko says by 2030, it is estimated that up to 118 million extremely poor people will be exposed to drought, floods, and extreme heat in Africa if adequate response measures are not put in place.WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas says that last year Africa saw temperatures continue to increase, accelerating sea-level rise as well as extreme weather events like floods, landslides, and droughts, all indicators of climate change.

Football legend Didier Drogba was named the World Health Organization's new Goodwill Ambassador for Sport and Health.Mr Drogba, from Côte d'Ivoire, will promote WHO's top tips on how physical activity can lead to a healthier and happier life, and also highlight the value of sports, particularly for youth.Mr Drogba says he was honoured to team up with WHO and support its work to help people reach the highest level of health possible, especially young people in all countries.WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, hailed Mr Drogba as a proven champion and game-changer both on and off the pitch.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, brokered a reconciliation with youths in the state, promising not to give up his belief in them.Youngsters across the state used the opportunity of yesterday’s Eid-Maulud national holiday to come together to participate in a peace conference aimed at creating a common platform for conflict resolution.Amnesty International called on President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfil the promise he made to reform the Nigeria Police, one year after the #EndSARS incident.Sanwo-Olu listened as the youths led the conversation on how they could effectively channel their grievances to the authorities.

The Kaduna State Government has warned that anyone who wishes to enter any of its offices must comply with Covid-19 protocols such as wearing face masks and vaccination as from October 31.The government reiterated that the Ministry of Health has since commenced the vaccination of all civil servants, and this is expected to be completed by the end of October.A statement by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, says visitors to government offices will need to present their vaccination cards.The statement added that the Commissioner of Health Dr Amina Mohammed-Baloni has announced that residents are encouraged to register at the nearest primary health centre for Covid-19 vaccinations so that the relevant authorities can easily contact them as more Covid-19 vaccines become available.

President Muhammadu Buhari is to host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Abuja on a two-day official visit.Erdogan is expected to fly in from Angola, accompanied by the Turkish First Lady, Mrs Emine Erdogan.Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, says that the leaders of the two countries are expected to consider about two dozen Bilateral Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding, MOUs and they will authorize the signing of those on which there is concurrence.He added that President Erdogan will hold a one-on-one meeting with President Buhari and he is expected to commission the Turkish Cultural Centre in Abuja.

The Lagos State Police Command says it will only allow indoor and virtual events.The State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, says the police would not allow any form of protest except vehicular procession.The police commissioner cautioned residents, especially the youth against embarking on any form of protest without the approval of the police.Odumosu explained that such approval will enable police deployment for adequate protection against hoodlums who could hijack the exercise.He explained that the need to reassure Lagos residents is to douse the tension that has enveloped the state of recent.

Appzone, the Pan-African fintech software provider has announced the Pan-African launch of BankOne, its digital core banking solution now re-engineered to serve the continent’s leading Fintechs, neobanks and challenger banks.CEO of Appzone Core, Mr Mudiaga Umukoro says BankOne has played an active role in driving the digitization of Nigeria’s financial services industry. He says the platform has now been repositioned to serve the continent’s growing number of Fintechs and neobanks.

Russia will suspend the activities of its diplomatic mission to NATO and close the alliance’s offices in Moscow in response to its expulsion of eight Russians in a row over spying.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the moves, are set to plunge relations between Moscow and the transatlantic security body to new depths when they take effect at the start of next month.Lavrov also announced that NATO’s military liaison and information offices in Moscow would be closed, saying accreditations would be recalled at the beginning of November.He said that contact between the Western alliance and Moscow could be done through the Russian embassy in Belgium.