By Rédaction Africanews At least 25 students have been abducted from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Nigeria’s Maga town, Kebbi State, following an overnight attack by gunmen. The incident occurred early hours of Monday in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area. Witnesses said the attackers stormed the school around midnight, killing the vice principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, who reportedly tried to shield the students. Police spokesperson CSP Nafiu Abubakar confirmed that 25 students were taken during the raid. He said security agencies had begun search and rescue efforts. Kebbi’s Chief Press Secretary, Ahmed Idris, said Deputy Governor Umar Tafida had…
Author: Montage Africa
By Rédaction Africanews and AP For now, it’s the status quo — nothing has changed. Neither Bassirou Diomaye Faye nor Ousmane Sonko has spoken about the crisis shaking their party, their coalition, the “Diomaye President” coalition that brought Bassirou Diomaye Faye to power. All we know is that well-meaning individuals have stepped in to mediate and try to smooth things over between the two men. So far, nothing has leaked, apart from a few speculations and perhaps statements from PASTEF officials who are trying to reassure the public that things are on the right track. This is, in any case,…
For months, it seemed like all roads led to Benin. With the Nigerian art week rounding up in early November, writers, artists, and patrons seemed to be making a beeline towards the land of bronzes, ready to attend the preview week for the new and highly anticipated Museum of West African Art (MOWAA). Plane tickets were booked, and so were hotel rooms. Excited features were published, and the buzz was mountain high. For many, MOWAA’s presence represents an audacious new era in and for Nigeria — one where citizens can lay claim to another world-class art institution working across disciplines and…
By Rédaction Africanews and Agencies The United Kingdom is threatening to restricts visas for nationals from three African countries that it has accused of not cooperating with the deportation of illegal immigrants. British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is giving Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo one month to improve the situation before she blocks all tourist and VIP visas. She warned the policy could be extended to other countries with high rates of asylum claims from people who enter Britain legally. “My message to foreign governments today is clear: accept the return of your nationals or you…
Ghana is scrapping its 15% value-added tax on mineral exploration in a bid to revive investment in a sector that has struggled to attract new projects for more than two decades. The levy, introduced 25 years ago, had raised upfront costs for drilling and assay work, prompting industry groups to warn that it undermined Ghana’s competitiveness compared with regional rivals that exempt exploration from VAT. Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson said the move will restore investor confidence, boost greenfield activity, and support broader efforts to curb unregulated mining. The policy shift comes as small-scale miners deliver record gold shipments, highlighting how recent…
Nigeria is set to further reshape Africa’s refining landscape as an international energy consortium has secured over $50 billion to build a 500,000-barrel-per-day refinery and free trade zone in Ondo State. The project, led by Backbone Infrastructure Nigeria Limited in partnership with Canada’s NEFEX Holdings, will become Africa’s second-largest refinery, surpassing Algeria’s Skikda and sitting just behind the Dangote Refinery. Officials say the investment will create thousands of jobs, attract major logistics and storage opportunities, and strengthen Nigeria’s position as the continent’s energy hub. Together, the Ondo and Dangote refineries will be able to process more than 1.1 million barrels per day,…
Japan is reshaping its relationship with Africa by transitioning from traditional aid to strategic venture capital investments, targeting sectors such as fintech, mobility, and climate technology. As global investors rethink conventional VC models that often overlook Africa’s unique challenges, Japanese firms are stepping in with approaches tailored to local realities. Their model incorporates capacity building and technology sharing. Backed by major commitments announced at TICAD 9—including billions in financing and large-scale skills development—Japan’s private and public players are now steadily expanding their footprint across the continent. Firms such as Samurai Incubate, Kepple Africa Ventures, and Uncovered Fund are leading the…
By Kwabena Adu Gyamfi Africa is being faced with a rare and worrying convergence. Ethiopia has confirmed its first-ever outbreak of the Marburg virus, what many have described as a deadly relative of Ebola, while across the continent, cholera is surging at its fastest pace in 25 years. Both health crises are serious on their own, but together they reveal a deeper challenge: African health systems are under immense pressure. In rural parts of Ethiopia, families are grappling with fear and confusion as news of Marburg spreads. The virus, highly contagious and often fatal, has prompted emergency teams from the…
In a major step for sustainable technology, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has announced its first production of 1,000 tons of fully traceable artisanal cobalt. This is a pivotal development for the mineral, which is essential for powering electric vehicles and other electronics. The DRC, responsible for over 70% of global cobalt reserves, has an informal artisanal mining sector, often linked to significant ethical and environmental challenges. With global cobalt demand projected to surge 40% by 2030, manufacturers are now demanding proof of ethical sourcing. This new traceable supply directly addresses that pressure, marking a crucial move toward formalizing the…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP As world leaders meet at the COP30 summit in Brazil, the urgent need to hit a global target of protecting 30 percent of the world’s ocean by 2030 has been brought into stark focus by an international science mission which has just returned with new evidence from the depths of the Indian Ocean. Sharks – the ocean’s apex predators – observed at depths from 300 metres and 900 metres down in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Comoros – a nation emblematic of many small island states bearing the brunt of climate destabilisation and…