Author: Vardiafrica

Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced that Beijing will scrap tariffs for all but one African country on May 1. According to state media on Saturday, Xi said that the zero-tariff deal “will undoubtedly provide new opportunities for African development”, announcing the date as leaders across the continent gathered in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, for the annual African Union summit. China already has a zero-tariff policy for imports from 33 African countries, but Beijing said last year it would extend the policy to all 53 of its diplomatic partners on the continent. China is Africa’s largest trading partner and a…

The chairman of Heirs Holdings and member of the Presidential Economic Council, Tony Elumelu, has hailed President Bola Tinubu’s reform efforts, which he said ended the era of foreign exchange scarcity.  Elumelu said this on Friday after a meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. “We also discussed the country’s monetary policy. What the Central Bank Governor and his team are doing is quite encouraging. We have seen a return to predictability and stability. Speaking not just as a bank chairman, but as an entrepreneur who wears many hats, the ability to predict the direction of the economy…

Nigeria has called for a continental shift towards health security sovereignty in Africa aimed at moving the continent from reliance on foreign aids to self-sufficient, homegrown health systems. This, according to Vice President Kashim Shettima, has become a matter of necessity to ensure the health of Africans is not subjected to the uncertainties of distant supply chains or the shifting priorities of global panic. Senator Shettima made the nation’s position known on Friday during a high-level side event on “Building Africa’s Health Security Sovereignty,” on the margins of the ongoing 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State…

The Confederations of African Football (CAF) has revealed plans to expand the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to 28 participating teams.  Patrice Motsepe, CAF president, announced the planned expansion on Friday at the confederation’s exco meeting press conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. AFCON currently features 24 teams, and the potential expansion will allow four additional countries to participate in every edition. “I had said in Morocco that CAF’s objective is to have AFCON or the equivalent of AFCON every year. Not every two years. And AFCON, as we know it, we want to increase it to 28 countries. As…

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, on Thursday formally set in motion the electoral process for the 2027 general election, announcing that the Presidential and National Assembly polls will hold on February 20, 2027, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will take place on March 6, 2027. Briefing journalists, the INEC Chairman said the announcement was in strict compliance with constitutional and statutory provisions guiding the conduct of elections in Nigeria. “By virtue of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, the tenure of the President, the Vice-President, the…

During the just-concluded 39th Session of the Executive Council of the African Union, Nigeria recorded significant diplomatic and institutional achievements, consolidating its leadership role in advancing Africa’s economic integration, peace, security, and democratic governance. A major highlight of the session was the Council’s agreement to grant Nigeria a permanent seat on the Board of the African Central Bank. This landmark development underscores Nigeria’s strategic role in shaping Africa’s financial architecture. This decision also extends Nigeria’s representation to the Board of the Technical Convergence Committee of the African Monetary Institute, which serves as the precursor to the establishment of the African…

The Federal Government has reassigned police officers previously attached to VIP escort duties to communities in Kwara State hit by recent terrorist attacks. The move is part of renewed efforts to boost security in vulnerable areas. In a statement released on Friday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, explained that the redeployment is tied to intensified operations under Operation Savannah Shield. He noted that the decision followed deadly attacks in parts of the state that reportedly killed about 75 villagers. According to Idris, the Nigeria Police Force has withdrawn a significant number of officers from VIP protection…

The Federal Government of Nigeria is intensifying security operations across Nigeria’s North Central region to protect civilians in vulnerable communities, following cowardly terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of about 75 innocent villagers in Kwara State. The renewed offensive, code-named Operation Savannah Shield, entails the deployment of military, police, and national forest guard units to reinforce security assets in the theatre. These forces are supported by enhanced intelligence capabilities and rapid-response protocols, operating under the expanded security mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, established when he declared a state of emergency on national security on 26 November 2026. President Tinubu condemned…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council. The decision was announced on Thursday in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Onwuka Nzeshi. According to the statement, the governor directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most senior officers in their respective ministries with immediate effect. Governor Fubara expressed appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council for their service to the state and wished them well in their future endeavours. The dissolution comes 48 hours after Minister of the Federal Capital Territory…

The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima, has departed Abuja for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 2026 African Union (AU) Summit. The Summit, themed “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” will focus on advancing continental commitments toward sustainable water management, improved sanitation systems, and the broader development aspirations encapsulated in the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework. While in Addis Ababa, the Vice President will join other African leaders at the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State…