Author: Vardiafrica

The Dangote Group, a Nigerian industrial conglomerate, has commenced the construction of a $2.5 billion fertiliser plant in Gode, Ethiopia. According to a statement on Sunday, Aliko Dangote, the group’s founder and president, led the groundbreaking ceremony, which took place recently in the East African nation. The project, a joint venture between the conglomerate and the Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), is expected to have an annual production capacity of three million metric tonnes of urea, positioning it among the largest fertiliser complexes in the world. “Strategically located in Ethiopia’s South-East region, it will leverage the country’s abundant natural gas resources from the…

French President Emmanuel Macron named Lecornu, a former defence minister, to the post last month. But the largely unchanged cabinet Lecornu unveiled late on Sunday sparked fierce criticism across the political spectrum. “There can be no return to stability without a return to the polls and the dissolution of the National Assembly,” National Rally leader Jordan Bardella said after Lecornu resigned. The premier had faced the daunting task of finding approval in a deeply divided parliament for an austerity budget for next year. Lecornu’s two immediate predecessors, François Bayrou and Michel Barnier, were ousted by the legislative chamber in a standoff over the…

Dangote Refinery commends President Tinubu and top officials for swiftly halting PENGASSAN’s actions that threatened Nigeria’s energy stability. Dangote Refinery has expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and senior government officials for their decisive intervention that halted the “disruptive actions of PENGASSAN against the Refinery.” In a statement titled “PENGASSAN Strike – Dangote Refinery’s Note of Appreciation” dated October 6, 2025, the refinery’s management said the President’s involvement, alongside his Ministers and top security officials, “resulted in the abatement of the disruptive actions of PENGASSAN against the Refinery.” The refinery singled out several key officials for praise, including the National…

In continuation of its human capacity building initiatives and provision of thought leadership in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, the Nigerian Content Cevelopment and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is set to launch Nigerian Content Academy Lecture Series, focussing discourse on strategic areas in the oil and gas industry. The weekly lecture series is organised by the Nigerian Content Academy, a specialised unit of the NCDMB, and it has already lined up heavy weights in the oil and gas industry and the national economy for the speaking roles. Some of the confirmed speakers include former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; pioneer…

Bitcoin’s price surged to a record high shortly after midnight ET on October 5, 2024, wicking up to just above $125,700 per Coinbase bitcoin price data displayed on TradingView. Rising 3% on the day, bitcoin’s price cleared its prior all-time high of ~$124,500 set in August of this year. At the time of publication, bitcoin’s price is up 10% WoW, 34% YTD, and 102% YoY. Presaging the all-time high for bitcoin’s price, BlackRock’s IBIT BTC ETF recently broke into the top 20 U.S. ETFs by assets under management, crossing $90 billion for the first time. This conceivably makes IBIT’s rise into the top…

Malawi (AP) — Peter Mutharika was sworn in as Malawi’s president Saturday after a political comeback at the age of 85 to win last month’s election. Thousands gathered at Kamuzu Stadium in the commercial capital, Blantyre, for Mutharika’s inauguration. He previously served as president of the southern African nation from 2014 to 2020. He lost office in 2020, after a 2019 election he won was nullified by a court because of widespread irregularities and ordered to be rerun the following year. He won a Sept. 16 election with 56% of the vote compared with 33% for incumbent Lazarus Chakwera to return to office. Mutharika takes…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has intensified efforts to sustain the peace recently restored in the state after over two years of political tension. As part of measures to consolidate the calm atmosphere in the oil-rich state, Governor Fubara, on Saturday night, met again with his predecessor and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike — this time alongside a larger group of political leaders loyal to the FCT Minister. The closed-door meeting held at the Port Harcourt residence of elder statesman, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba till the early hours of Sunday. It followed a valedictory on Wednesday…

The Treasury Department is considering producing a one-dollar coin featuring President Donald Trump to commemorate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence next year, a spokesperson confirmed on Friday. The draft design of the coin, which was overseen by the Office of the U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, features Trump’s profile on one side of the coin. The opposite side depicts Trump with a clenched fist in front of an American flag alongside the words “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT.” “Despite the radical left’s forced shutdown of our government, the facts are clear: Under the historic leadership of President Donald J. Trump, our nation…

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and Meta Platforms Inc. have moved to settle their dispute over the regulator’s $32.8 million fine and a slate of compliance directives issued against the company for alleged violations affecting Nigerian users’ data. Lawyers for both sides informed Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday that talks were well advanced. The judge had been set to rule on the NDPC’s preliminary objection to Meta’s suit, as well as Meta’s request to amend its court filings. Instead, at the parties’ request, he put the ruling on hold to allow negotiations…

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to offer unaccompanied migrant teenagers in the United States the option to voluntarily leave the country and receive a $2,500 payment, according to three sources familiar with the plans and an administration memo obtained by CNN. The Trump administration has already been offering financial incentives — including a $1,000 exit bonus — to undocumented adult immigrants in the US to depart the country. Administration officials have argued that self-deportation incentives are more cost effective, given the high price tag of immigrant detention and deportation. A notice sent to legal service providers Friday by the Department…