Author: Vardiafrica

Visa Inc., an American multinational payment card services corporation, has updated Vice President Kashim Shettima on plans to site data centre infrastructure in Nigeria. This is in addition to its investments of over $1 billion in the country, including a substantial technological partnership with MoniePoint to foster digital payment solutions, a $200 million investment in Interswitch, and a partnership with ThriveAgric to empower smallholder farmers and enhance food security in Nigeria. Visa’s Regional President for Central, & Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA), Mr. Andrew Torre, disclosed this when he led a delegation of the company on a courtesy…

Namibia’s new president was sworn in on Friday to lead a country facing high rates of unemployment, inequality and poverty. And she will be dealing with it with the additional burden of being only Africa’s second-ever directly elected female president and Namibia’s first female head of state. “If things go well then it will be seen as a good example,” Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah told BBC’s Africa Daily podcast. “But if anything then happens, like it can happen in any administration under men, there are also those who would rather say: ‘Look at women!'” The 72-year-old won November’s election with a 58%…

The Supreme Court has nullified the judgments of the Court of Appeal and Federal High Court, which sacked Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) A five-member panel of the apex court held that the issue of who is the National Secretary of the PDP borders on the internal affairs of a political party which is not justiciable. Justice Jamilu Tukur, who delivered the lead judgment of the Supreme Court, consequently struck out the judgment of the trial court delivered in October 2024 and also set aside the majority judgment of the court of appeal…

Britain’s Heathrow airport, Europe’s busiest, was shut down early Friday after a major fire at neighbourhood electrical substation supplying power to the sprawling facility west of London, officials said Several flights were already being diverted, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, while airport authorities said they “expect significant disruption over the coming days”. “Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” the airport operator said in a statement on its website, adding it would be closed until just before midnight Friday (2359 GMT). “Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.” London Fire Brigade said there has…

Sudan’s army said it recaptured the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Friday after a fierce battle. “Our forces completely destroyed the enemy’s fighters and equipment, and seized large quantities of equipment and weapons,” army spokesman Nabil Abdallah said in a statement broadcast on state television. Abdallah vowed the army would “continue to progress on all fronts until victory is complete and every inch of our country is purged of the militia and its supporters”. On social media, soldiers shared videos appearing to be inside the presidential palace, exchanging congratulations. AFP could not…

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday met with the Asagba of Asaba, Delta State, Obi Professor Epiphany Azinge at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The monarch came alongside some royal fathers believed to be members of the Obi-in-Council. The delegation did not immediately meet with the President. It was gathered that the traditional rulers were directed to meet with the President at his private residence, also in the State House, Abuja. The visit is coming on the heels of tension in some parts of the South-South geopolitical zone as a result of the recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers…

NNPC Retail Limited (NRL) marked another milestone with the successful hosting of She-Fix 2025, a landmark event dedicated to empowering women in automotive, technical, and energy sectors and commemorating International Women’s Day. Mr Olufemi O. Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) in a statement on Thursday, said the event, which took place recently at The Stable Center, Surulere, Lagos, attracted over 300 active participants as part of global celebrations marking this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD). It has as its theme “Driving Diversity and Powering Progress.” The event emphasized the critical role women…

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced plans to introduce electronic visas (e-Visas) soon, aiming to reduce inefficiency and curb corruption across the country. NIS Comptroller General, Mrs Kemi Nandap, said this during the opening of the 3rd nationwide sensitisation campaign on ensuring efficient service delivery and zero tolerance for corruption on Thursday in Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the event is “Increased Digitalisation and Consolidated Innovations for Efficient and Transparent Services.” The anti-corruption campaign will also take place across all NIS commands and formations. According to Nandap, the introduction of e-Visas will…

The Bank of Industry (BOI) has launched a special intervention programme, Project Guaranteed Loans for Women (GLOW), valued at ₦10 billion to support female entrepreneurs across the country. The bank’s Managing Director, Dr. Olasupo Olusi, announced the initiative on Thursday in Lagos, stating that the funding “aims to bridge the financial inclusion gap for women in Nigeria.” According to him, Nigeria leads the world in women’s entrepreneurial activity, with 23 million female entrepreneurs accounting for 41 per cent of the country’s micro-businesses. Olusi decried that access to finance remained a major challenge for women looking to scale their businesses. He,…

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has dissociated himself from the South-South Governors Forum’s stance on the State of Emergency in Rivers. Okpebholo disclosed this in a statement issued in Benin by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, on Thursday. He said that he was neither consulted nor informed about the position taken by the forum. Recall that South-South Governors’ Forum had reacted to the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers, describing it as “condemnable”. Okpebholo stated that he recognised the right of other South-South governors to take a position on the matter. However, he dissociated himself from…