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☆ US Determined to Remain Strong Security Partner for Nigeria -Blinken
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ABUJA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said the United States is determined to remain a strong security partner for Nigeria, whose military is backed by the U.S., Britain and other allies in a long war against Islamist insurgents. "The United States is determined to be and remain a strong security partner for Nigeria," Blinken told reporters. Blinken added that he discussed how it is vitally important there be a focus on ensuring civilians are protected and humanitarian considerations. The coup in Niger was one of a series of military takeovers or attempted power grabs that occurred in West and Central Africa over the past three years. So far, about $2 billion of the backlog across sectors such as manufacturing, aviation, and petroleum have been paid, CBN spokesperson Hakama Sidi Ali said in a statement.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Bola Tinubu, Mohamed Bazoum, Hakama Sidi Ali, Chijioke Ohuocha, Felix Onuah, Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Ismail Shakil, Mark Porter, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Islamist, European Union, France, Central Bank of Nigeria Locations: ABUJA, WASHINGTON, United States, Nigeria, U.S, Britain, Niger, West, Central Africa, Abuja, Africa, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Angola, Jan, Africa's, Washington

☆ Nigeria and Germany sign $500 mln renewable energy and gas deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Union Bank of Nigeria and Germany's DWS Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on renewable energy. The agreement seeks to harness $500 million in investment in renewable energy projects across Nigeria, mostly in rural communities, spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale said in a statement. A second MoU on gas export partnership was agreed between Riverside LNG of Nigeria and Germany's Johannes Schuetze Energy Import AG. Under the accord, Nigeria will supply 850,000 tons of natural gas to Germany annually which is expected to rise to 1.2 million. Under Tinubu, Nigeria has embarked on the boldest reforms in decades, scrapping a popular petrol subsidy and lifting restrictions on foreign exchange trading.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Bola Tinubu, Fabrizio Bensch, Ajuri Ngelale, Germany's Johannes, Ngelale, Tinubu, Elisha Bala, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Union Bank of Nigeria, Germany's DWS, Riverside, Germany's Johannes Schuetze Energy, AG, Africa, Thomson Locations: Africa, Berlin, Germany, Rights ABUJA, Nigeria, Riverside LNG, Tinubu

☆ Nigeria gets refineries investment, forex pledge from Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Nigeria and Saudi Arabia on Friday agreed to a series of investment and cooperation deals, including a pledge by the Saudi government to invest in the revamp of Nigeria's oil refineries and provide financial support to sustain the government's foreign-exchange reforms. Under Tinubu, Nigeria has embarked on the boldest reforms in decades, scrapping a popular petrol subsidy and unifying the country's multiple exchange rates as part of measures "aimed at improving the ease of doing business." Information Minister Mohammed Idris said the Saudi government pledged to make "a substantial deposit of foreign exchange to boost Nigeria's forex liquidity". "Nigeria and Saudi Arabia have always enjoyed a special relationship at both the bilateral and multilateral levels. The two leaders agreed to work together over the next six months to "develop a comprehensive road map and blueprint" to deliver on the investments, Idris said.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Temilade, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mohammed Idris, Idris, Tinubu, Ajuri Ngelale, Boko, Felix Onuah, Elisha Bala, Emelia Sithole, Matthew Lewis, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Saudi Crown, Saudi Aramco, Thomson Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Rights ABUJA, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Africa, Riyadh, Tinubu, Africa's

☆ Germany's Scholz says his country willing to invest in Nigerian gas, minerals
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Johanna Geron Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA, Oct 29 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday his country was willing to invest in gas and critical minerals in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer, as he started a two-nation visit to sub-Saharan Africa. "There is a willingness to invest, especially in critical minerals," Scholz told reporters at a joint briefing with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in the capital Abuja. "If we are successful, if there is a better chance of exporting the produced gas ... it is then the question for German companies to do their private business," said Scholz. Tinubu said he had "a very deep discussion" on the issue of gas and encouraged German businesses to invest in pipelines in Nigeria. Without giving details, Scholz said there was also a willingness from German companies to build railways in Nigeria.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Johanna Geron, Scholz, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Felix Onuah, Andreas Rinke, MacDonald Dzirutwe Organizations: European Union, REUTERS, Rights, West African, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Rights ABUJA, Nigeria, Saharan Africa, Berlin, Abuja, Niger, Gabon

☆ Nigeria wins bid to overturn $11 bln damages for collapsed gas deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu looks on after his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria May 29, 2023. The sum had since swelled with interest to over $11 billion, representing 10 times the country's 2019 health budget. The judge said a further hearing would take place to decide whether to send the case back to arbitration or ditch the $11 billion award without further delay. Both received confidential Nigerian documents during the arbitration that they knew they were not entitled to see, the judge found. Additional reporting by Felix Onuah in Abuja, Editing by Estelle Shirbon and David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Temilade, Tinubu, Robin Knowles, Knowles, Nigeria's, Trevor Burke, Seamus Andrew, Burke, Andrew, Felix Onuah, Estelle Shirbon, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Monday, London's, Africa's, ID's, Thomson, & $ Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, British Virgin Islands, Nigerian, Africa

☆ China's Xi Jinping commits to more investments in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It added that another $4 billion worth of letters of intent was received for new projects and investments in different sectors of the economy. Nigeria also signed contracts with China Harbour Engineering Company for the construction of the Lekki Blue Seaport in Lagos. Shettima met Xi, who asked for the protection of Chinese workers in Nigeria, according to the vice president's office. China had committed to rail projects in Nigeria in the past and to a seaport in Bonny Island in the Niger Delta. China had earlier agreed to provide 85% of the financing for the rail projects.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Edgar Su, Kashim Shettima's, Shettima, Xi, Felix Onuah, Chijioke Ohuocha, Jamie Freed Organizations: Initiative, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, Nigeria's National Agency for Science, Engineering Infrastructure, China Harbour Engineering Company, China Exim Bank, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Rights ABUJA, Nigeria, Africa's, Lagos, China, Bonny Island, Niger, Nigeria's

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu offers wage increase ahead of labour strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bola Tinubu, President of Nigeria, arrives for the closing session of the New Global Financial Pact Summit, Friday, June 23, 2023 in Paris, France. Tinubu scrapped a decades-old subsidy during his inauguration in May and ended foreign exchange restrictions, which has led to soaring cost of living and angered unions. In a national broadcast marking 63 years of independence, Tinubu defended the reforms as necessary to put Africa's biggest economy on the path to recovery. That would take the minimum wage in Nigeria to 55,000 naira ($71) from 30,000 naira. But labour unions want Tinubu to reinstate the fuel subsidy and had previously demanded a minimum wage of 200,000 naira.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Lewis Joly, Tinubu, Tinubu's, Felix Onuah, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Daniel Wallis Organizations: New Global Financial, Rights, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Nigeria, Paris, France, Rights ABUJA

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu Urges UN to Help Curb Exploitation of Africa's Resources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Nigerian President Bola Tinubu urged the United Nations to become more proactive in addressing his African nation's poverty and security issues and helping to fight illicit resource extraction, his spokesman said on Thursday. Tinubu raised the issues when he met U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, his spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said in a statement. The Nigerian leader said malign actors who engage in illicit activities, including resource and weapons smuggling, exploit Africa's vast mineral wealth and undermine its stability. "We now recognize the need to reform the institution to represent the world as it is today," Guterres was quoted as saying. (Reporting by Felix Onuah in Abuja; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Howard Goller)

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Ajuri Ngelale, Guterres, Felix Onuah, Elisha Bala, Howard Goller Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, United Nations, General Assembly, United, General, West African, ECOWAS Locations: New York, United Nations, West Africa, Niger, Abuja

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu tells UN he seeks to restore democratic order in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu looks on after his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria May 29, 2023. Tinubu is chairman of the main West African bloc ECOWAS, which has been trying to negotiate with the Niger military junta. ECOWAS has said it is ready to deploy troops to restore constitutional order if diplomatic efforts fail. It is a demand for solutions to perennial problems," Tinubu said. The junta in Niger last month ordered its armed forces to go on highest alert, citing an increased threat of attack.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Temilade, Tinubu, Felix Onuah, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Howard Goller, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, West, ECOWAS, Niger, United Nations General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Niger, New York, West Africa, Africa

☆ Nigeria seeks to deepen economic ties with South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu speaks after his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria May 29, 2023. President Ramaphosa hailed Tinubu's "brave" economic reforms and pledged that South Africa will explore greater partnership with Nigeria. "We are two major economies on our continent, and it is important that we deepen economic ties, particularly in light of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement," Ramaphosa said . "We would love to see Nigeria and South Africa working closely together on a number of issues because whenever we join hands, we have made an impact globally through those joint positions," he said. Tinubu also urged South Africa to join Nigeria in a call for reforms of global finance institutions to help Africa combat rising poverty and economic woes.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Temilade, Cyril Ramaphosa, Tinubu, Ramaphosa, Tinubu's, Joe Biden, Felix Onuah, Elisha Bala, Sonali Paul Organizations: Nigeria's, REUTERS, Rights, South, United Nations General Assembly, African Continental Free Trade, Finance, General Assembly, U.S, Microsoft, Meta, Exxon Mobil, Thomson Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Rights ABUJA, New York, Africa, South Africa

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu picks banker Cardoso as next central bank governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ABUJA, Sept 15 (Reuters) - President Bola Tinubu has nominated the former head of Citibank in Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, to serve as the country's new central bank governor, days before its next interest rate meeting, a presidential spokesperson said on Friday. The central bank did not respond to a request for comment on whether Emefiele and his deputy governors had resigned. The central bank raised rates by a smaller-than-expected 25 basis points in July, contrary to analysts' expectations, under acting Governor Folashondun Shonubi, one of Emefiele's deputies. The central bank pursued unorthodox policies under Emefiele who kept the currency artificially strong, a policy backed by former President Muhammadu Buhari, which supported government borrowings on the international markets. He was a former commissioner for economic planning and budget in Lagos state when Tinubu was governor between 1999-2007.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Olayemi Cardoso, Godwin Emefiele, Tinubu, Cardoso, Ajuri Ngelale, Ngelale, Folashondun Shonubi, Emefiele, Muhammadu Buhari, Camillus Eboh, Chijioke Ohuocha, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Richard Chang, Jane Merriman, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Citibank, Central Bank of Nigeria, Thomson Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Lagos

Emirates airliners are seen on the tarmac in a general view of Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates January 13, 2021. REUTERS/Abdel Hadi Ramah/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Emirates Airlines will resume immediate flight schedules to Nigeria and lift a visa ban on Nigerian travellers, following a meeting between the leaders of the two countries, the Nigerian presidency said on Monday. Tinubu stopped in Abu Dhabi on his way from G20 summit in India, where he wooed investors to Nigeria. Last month Tinubu said he wanted an immediate resolution to the disagreements with Emirates Airlines and visa issues by the Arab country. The UAE stopped issuing visas to Nigerians last year after Dubai's Emirates suspended flights due to an inability to repatriate funds from Nigeria.

Persons: Abdel Hadi Ramah, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Emirates Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Tinubu, Ajuri Ngelale, Ngelale, Chijioke Ohuocha, Felix Onuah, David Evans, Peter Graff, Richard Chang Organizations: Emirates, Dubai International, United Arab Emirates, Rights, Emirates Airlines, United, UAE, Dubai's Emirates, Etihad Airlines, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, Rights ABUJA, Nigeria, Emirates, Abu Dhabi, India, State, Nigerian

Bola Tinubu, President of Nigeria, arrives for the closing session of the New Global Financial Pact Summit, Friday, June 23, 2023 in Paris, France. Lewis Joly/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Nigeria has secured nearly $14 billion of pledges from Indian investors and seeks an economic cooperation pact with the South Asian nation, a presidential spokesperson said on Wednesday. Skipperseil Ltd's founding Chairman Jitender Sachdeva and India's Bharti Enterprises each pledged $1.6 billion over four years to build power generation plants and $700 million in Nigeria, respectively, Ngelale said. Tinubu is attending at the invitation of India, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the bloc. "We are ready to give you the best returns for investment possible, there's nowhere else like our country," Tinubu said in the statement.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Lewis Joly, India's Jindal, Ajuri Ngelale, Skipperseil, Jitender Sachdeva, Ngelale, Tinubu, Nidhi Verma, Felix Onuah, Elisha Bala, Shivam Patel, Christina Fincher, Richard Chang Organizations: New Global Financial, South, India's Jindal Steel, Indorama Corp, India's Bharti Enterprises, Defence Industries Corporation, Thomson Locations: Nigeria, Paris, France, DELHI, West, New Delhi, India, Africa's, South Africa, Abuja

☆ Nigeria mulls G20 bloc membership, president to attend summit in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

President Bola Tinubu will leave on Monday to attend the G20 summit in India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale said. "While Nigeria's membership of the G-20 is desirable, the government has embarked on wide-ranging consultations with a view to ascertaining the benefits and risks of membership," Ngelale said in a statement. Tinubu's attendance was in part to further Nigeria's membership objective, he said. On Friday, Ngelale said Tinubu will attend the G20 summit to try to promote foreign investment in Nigeria and mobilize global capital to develop infrastructure. Tinubu will attend the summit with some of his cabinet members including foreign affairs, finance and trade ministers.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Lewis Joly, Narendra Modi, Ajuri Ngelale, Ngelale, Tinubu, Felix Onuah, Chijioke Ohuocha, Andrew Cawthorne, Angus MacSwan Organizations: New Global Financial, Rights, Thomson Locations: Nigeria, Paris, France, Rights ABUJA, India, South Africa

☆ Nigerian president recalls ambassadors worldwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu looks on after his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria May 29, 2023. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA, Sept 2 (Reuters) - President Bola Tinubu has ordered a recall of Nigeria's ambassadors the world over with immediate effect, his spokesman said on Saturday. Nigeria's United Nations permanent representatives in New York and Geneva are exempted from the "total recall" due to the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) later in the month, Tinubu's office said in a statement. Nigeria has 109 diplomatic missions worldwide, comprising 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates. Reporting by Felix Onuah; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Temilade, Ajuri Ngelale, Joe Biden, Felix Onuah, Elisha Bala, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Nigeria's United Nations, United Nations General Assembly, U.S, Thomson Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Rights ABUJA, New York, Geneva, Brazil, India, South Korea, Germany

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu to attend G20 summit in India to promote investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bola Tinubu, President of Nigeria, arrives for the closing session of the New Global Financial Pact Summit, Friday, June 23, 2023 in Paris, France. Lewis Joly/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu plans to attend the G20 summit in India this month to try to promote foreign investment in Africa's largest economy and mobilize global capital to develop infrastructure, his spokesman said on Friday. The summit in India will hold on Sept 9 and 10. Ngelale said Tinubu will meet leaders from Brazil, India, South Korea and Germany on the sidelines of the G20. Tinubu also plans to meet Indian executives, including Jindal Steel and Power Company, among others, Ngelale said.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Lewis Joly, Tinubu, Ajuri Ngelale, Ngelale, India's Bharti, Joe Biden, Felix Onuah, Chijioke Ohuocha, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: New Global Financial, Rights, Jindal Steel, Power Company, India's, India's Bharti Airtel, U.S, United Nations General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Nigeria, Paris, France, Rights ABUJA, India, West African, Brazil, South Korea, Germany, Africa, New York

REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA/NIAMEY, Aug 19 (Reuters) - A delegation from West Africa's main regional bloc ECOWAS met Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and held talks with junta leader General Abdourahmane Tiani in the capital Niamey on Saturday, a Nigerian presidential spokesperson said. The group that flew in was led by Nigeria's former military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar and included ECOWAS commission president Omar Touray, the source said. "After meeting .... (junta leader) General Abdoulrahmane Tchiani, the ECOWAS delegation in Niger have also visited President Mohamed Bazoum this evening," he wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. There was no immediate comment from the junta, which has held president Mohamed Bazoum since seizing power despite international calls for his release. ECOWAS has taken a harder stance on the Niger coup, the wider region's seventh in three years, than it did on previous ones.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, General Abdourahmane Tiani, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Omar Touray, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, General Abdoulrahmane Tchiani, Tiani, Alessandra Prentice, Toby Chopra, Jane Merriman Organizations: Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, ECOWAS, West, Twitter, Islamic, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ABUJA, NIAMEY, West Africa's, Niamey, Niger, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ West Africa delegation met ousted president Bazoum during Niger visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 19 (Reuters) - A delegation from West Africa's main regional bloc met Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and junta leader General Abdourahmane Tiani during a visit to the capital Niamey on Saturday, a Nigerian presidential spokesperson said in an online post. Reporting by Felix Onuah Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Mike Segar, Niger's, General Abdourahmane Tiani, Felix Onuah, Alessandra Prentice, Alison Williams Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: U.N, New York City, U.S, West Africa's, Niamey

☆ West African bloc holds talks in Niger with junta
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff brief the press on plans to deploy its standby force to the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana, August 18, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA, Nigeria Aug 19 (Reuters) - A delegation from West Africa's main regional bloc ECOWAS flew to Niger's capital Niamey on Saturday to hold talks with the junta, an ECOWAS source told Reuters, as the bloc pursues diplomatic ways to overturn the July 26 coup. ECOWAS has taken a harder stance on the Niger coup, the wider region's seventh in three years, than it did on previous ones. The credibility of the bloc is at stake because it had said it would tolerate no further such overthrows. Reporting by Felix Onuah Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Omar Touray, Felix Onuah, Alessandra Prentice, Toby Chopra Organizations: Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ABUJA, Nigeria, West Africa's, Niamey, Niger

☆ Google to train 20,000 Nigerians in digital skills
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Google LLC is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Google Inc FollowAlphabet Inc FollowABUJA, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Google plans to train 20,000 Nigerian women and youth in digital skills and provide a grant of 1.2 billion naira ($1.6 million) to help the government's create one million digital jobs in the country, its Africa executives said on Tuesday. Nigeria plans to create digital jobs for its teeming youth population, Vice President Kashim Shettima told Google Africa executives during a meeting in Abuja. Google Africa executives said a grant from its philanthropic arm in partnership with Data Science Nigeria and the Creative Industry Initiative for Africa will facilitate the programme. Google director for West Africa Olumide Balogun said the company would commit funds and provide digital skills to women and young people in Nigeria and also enable startups to grow, which will create jobs.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Kashim Shettima, Shettima, West Africa Olumide Balogun, Charles Murito, Felix Onuah, Chijioke Ohuocha, Josie Kao Organizations: Google, Chelsea, REUTERS, Google Africa, Data Science, Creative Industry Initiative, West Africa, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, ABUJA, Africa, Nigeria, Abuja, Data Science Nigeria

☆ Niger junta says open to talks as Putin, US stress peace
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Souleymane Ag Anara/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 15 (Reuters) - Niger's junta on Tuesday said that it was open to talks to resolve a regional crisis caused by last month's military coup, while Russia and the United States called for a peaceful resolution. Singh declined to call the takeover a coup but said it "certainly looks like an attempted coup." Military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso have kicked out troops from former colonial power France and strengthened ties with Moscow. Putin has called for a return to constitutional order in Niger, while Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin welcomed the army takeover and offered his services. Support for Russia has appeared to surge in Niger since the coup, with junta supporters waving Russian flags at rallies and calling for France to disengage.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, Mahamat Deby, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Assimi Goita, Sabrina Singh, Joe Biden's, Singh, Bola Tinubu, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Felix Onuah, Mahamat Ramadane, Idrees Ali, Nellie Peyton, John Stonestreet, Estelle Shirbon, Alexandra Hudson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, West, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Islamic, Twitter, Military, Thomson Locations: Nigerien, Niamey, Niger, Russia, United States, Ghana, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West, Central Africa, Russian, West Africa's, Central Africa's, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, France, Moscow, Bazoum, Western, U.S, Germany, Italy, Paris, Abuja, Chad, Washington

☆ Nigeria's president says central bank undergoing forensic audit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABUJA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said on Friday the central bank was undergoing a comprehensive forensic audit as part of reforms following the suspension of the bank's governor in June. Tinubu has embarked on the country's boldest reforms in years, ending the central bank's currency controls that kept the naira currency artificially strong and scrapping a petrol subsidy that cost the government $10 billion last year. "A comprehensive forensic audit is on-going at the Central Bank (of Nigeria)," a presidency statement quoted Tinubu as telling World Bank head Ajay Banga at a meeting in Abuja. Tinubu, who was sworn into office on May 29, inherited an economy grappling with anaemic growth, record debt, shrinking oil production and widespread insecurity. Reporting by Felix Onuah, writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Ajay Banga, Felix Onuah, MacDonald Dzirutwe, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Central Bank, World Bank, Thomson Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Abuja

☆ Nigeria's labour unions suspend strike after meeting president
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ABUJA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Nigeria's main labour federation has agreed to return to talks with the government following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, union leaders said, on a day when hundreds of Nigerians marched against the removal of a petrol subsidy. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the marches across major Nigerian cities were successful enough to force Tinubu to meet union leaders and vow to expedite an agreement on a new minimum wage among other promises. [1/2]Members of the Nigerian Labour Union, holding flags and placards, march during a protest against fuel price hikes and rising costs, in Abuja, Nigeria August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Abraham AchirgaLed by union leaders, protesters carrying placards marched in Lagos, the oil-producing state of Bayelsa and in the northern cities of Kano and Kaduna. In the capital Abuja, marchers broke down a gate to the National Assembly, expecting to be addressed by the Senate president, witnesses said.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Tinubu's, Dele Alake, Abraham Achirga Led, Elisha Bala, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Tife, Hamza Ibrahim, Garba Muhammad, Tomasz Janowski, Giles Elgood, Sandra Maler Organizations: Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigerian Labour Union, REUTERS, NLC, National Assembly, Thomson Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Abuja, Lagos, Bayelsa, Kano, Kaduna, Gbogbo, Yenagoa

☆ Niger junta says it will not back down despite 'inhumane' sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In a televised address, Abdourahamane Tiani said the junta "rejects these sanctions altogether and refuses to give into any threats, wherever they come from. Nigeria cut power supplies to Niger, a Niger state utility document showed on Wednesday, while truckers in Niamey were stranded by border closures - early signs of fallout from the bloc's sweeping sanctions that Tiani described as "illegal, unjust, and inhumane." "The task of restoring democratic governance in Niger is fraught with potential hurdles and complications," said General Christopher Musa, Nigeria's Chief of Defence and Chairman of the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs. In a further sign of the mounting pressure on the junta, the World Bank on Wednesday suspended disbursements to Niger until further notice. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Christopher Musa, James, Bola Tinubu, Annalena Baerbock, Camillus Eboh, Felix Onuah, Christophe Van Der Perre, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Alessandra Prentice, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie, Grant McCool Organizations: Islamists, West African, West African States, ECOWAS, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Defence, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs, REUTERS, British, World Bank, European Union, Islamic, Union, Thomson Locations: Niger, Abuja Niger, Islamists Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, West Africa, Mali, Guinea, Bissau, Nigerian, Abuja, Nigeria, Niamey, Nigeria's, Nigerien, disbursements, States, France, Italy, Paris, Rome, United States, Germany, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ West African bloc sends mission to Niger to negotiate with coup leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nigerien security forces prepare to disperse pro-junta demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy, in Niamey, the capital city of Niger July 30, 2023. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions on Niger and threatened to authorise the use of force if the coup leaders do not reinstate elected President Mohamed Bazoum within a week from last Sunday. "There is a need to demonstrate that we cannot only bark but can bite," he told reporters, as regional defence chiefs started a two-day meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja. "The task of restoring democratic governance in Niger is fraught with potential hurdles and complications," said General Christopher Musa, Nigeria's Chief of Defence and Chairman of the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Abubakar, Christopher Musa, Abdourahmane Tiani, Bazoum, James, Bola Tinubu, Annalena Baerbock, Charles, Camillus Eboh, Felix Onuah, Christophe Van Der Perre, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Abuja Junta, Islamists, African, ECOWAS, West African States, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Defence, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs, British, European Union, Reuters, Islamic, Union, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Abuja, Islamists Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, Nigerian, West Africa, Mali, Guinea, Bissau, Nigeria's, France, Italy, Paris, Rome, United States, Germany, al Qaeda, Islamic State

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