Author: Vardiafrica

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to enforce the total ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small-volume PET/glass bottles (below 200ml) by December 2025, in line with the recent directive of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This decisive action, ordered by the Nigerian Senate and backed by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, underscores the Agency’s statutory mandate to safeguard public health and protect vulnerable populations—particularly children, adolescents, and young adults—from the harmful use of alcohol. The proliferation of…

Morocco has finalized an ambitious deal with France’s Safran Group to establish Africa’s largest aircraft-engine assembly hub, a project set to elevate the Kingdom’s standing in the global aerospace industry. Announced by Industry and Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour during the third edition of the National Industry Day in Rabat as reported by Business Insider Africa, the €350 million project will be located in the Midparc industrial zone in Nouaceur, near Casablanca. The facility will serve as the world’s second-largest LEAP-1A engine production hub after Safran’s Villaroche plant in France, assembling the same engines that power Airbus A320neo aircraft. This milestone…

Guinea’s Supreme Court has confirmed that the country’s junta leader, Mamady Doumbouya, along with eight other candidates, can participate in the forthcoming presidential election next month. When Doumbouya assumed control of the West African nation in 2021, he pledged not to seek office. However, a newly instituted constitution, advocated by the military-led administration and ratified in a September referendum, has now paved the way for his potential candidacy. Two formidable potential contenders, the erstwhile President Alpha Conde and the former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, find themselves disqualified due to age and residency stipulations enshrined in the new constitution. Doumbouya…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Bayelsa state governor and minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, wanted. According to the anti-graft agency, the former Delta State governor is wanted in connection with an alleged case of Conspiracy and Dishonest Conversion of $14,859,257. “The public is hereby notified that TIMIPRE SYLVA, a former Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, and former Governor of Bayelsa State, whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of Conspiracy and Dishonest Conversion of $14,859,257 – part of funds injected by…

The Confederation of African Football, CAF, on Monday, unveiled the official match ball for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations The match ball named ITRI draws inspiration from Morocco’s centuries-old zellij art form. The name also pays tribute to the star featured on the Moroccan flag. ITRI ball, according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will make its debut in the opening match of AFCON 2025. Hosts Morocco will take on Comoros in the opening game of the competition. The AFCON 2025 finals will kick-off on Sunday, 21 December

Russia said on Monday it was delusional to think Ukraine could win the war, while Moscow’s army said it had captured three more villages on the sprawling front line. Moscow is trying to press its advantage in manpower and equipment, but territorial gains have been slow and costly. Both sides are heavily entrenched, almost four years after Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine. “The Europeans believe that Ukraine can win the war and secure its interests through military means,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “This is the deepest delusion indulged in by the Kyiv regime. The situation on the…

The Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO, in partnership with the West African Power Pool (WAPP) Information and Coordination Centre, has successfully completed a major synchronisation test linking Nigeria’s electricity grid with the broader West African power network. This is according to a statement signed by the Chairman of NISO’s Board of Directors, Adesegun Akin-Olugbade, and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Abdu Bello Mohammed, on Sunday. NISO said the test was conducted on Saturday, November 8, 2025, between 05:04 a.m. and 09:04 a.m. It explained that the exercise involved synchronising the Nigerian grid, covering Niger Republic as well as parts of…

The Nigerian Government’s Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises, iDICE, programme has announced plans to launch two additional funds for the technology and creative sectors next year, targeting investments in start-ups across the country. The announcement comes as the Chairman of the iDICE Steering Committee, Vice President Kashim Shettima, described the formal kick-off as an exciting milestone that will leverage the potential of the country’s youth. It featured an anchor investment in a new venture fund by Ventures Platform, a pan-African seed-stage fund. The new funding achieved a $64 million first-round close based on investor commitments last Thursday. Ventures Platform…

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Chukwuma Soludo on his re-election as Governor of Anambra State. Soludo was returned for a second term in office after recording a landslide victory, winning all 21 local government areas in the election, according to results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday. The massive victory makes the professor the third governor in Anambra’s political history to win a second term. In a statement personally signed by him, President Tinubu described Soludo’s re-election as a testament to his visionary leadership and the significant progress recorded under his administration. “Governor Soludo, the Solution,…

U.S. President Donald Trump has again proposed paying a $2,000 “dividend” to most Americans using revenue from tariffs collected on imported goods. Trump made the renewed pitch on Sunday via his Truth Social platform, claiming that the U.S. government is “taking in trillions of dollars” through tariffs and could soon begin paying down its “enormous debt” of $37 trillion. He added that the proposed dividend would be distributed to all Americans except high-income earners, describing it as a reward from the country’s trade gains. “We are taking in trillions of dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT,…