Author: fatimah

The National Audit Office (NAO) of The Gambia has instructed the Accountant General’s Department to launch an investigation into uncleared and misclassified transit accounts amounting to more than one billion dalasis (approximately US$13.7 million). The directive was issued in a management letter accompanying the audit of government accounts for the 2024 fiscal year. In its findings, the NAO explained that transit accounts are temporary holding accounts used to facilitate the transfer of funds between different accounts or entities. These accounts are expected to be cleared and reduced to zero at the end of each month or financial year. However, the…

Benin has entered financial history after securing $500 million through its first-ever seven-year sovereign sukuk, marking the first time an African government has issued the Islamic financing instrument on the international market. According to an official government release, the sukuk was issued on Thursday and carries a seven-year maturity. Although denominated in US dollars, the transaction benefits from a dollar-to-euro currency hedge, resulting in a euro yield of 4.92 percent. In addition to the sukuk, Benin also expanded an existing Eurobond due in 2038, raising an extra $350 million at a 6.19 percent euro yield. Investor appetite was exceptionally strong,…

Algeria has summoned France’s chargé d’affaires in Algiers in response to the airing of a documentary on French public television channel France 2, which Algerian authorities have denounced as misleading and deliberately provocative. In an official statement, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the decision reflects the gravity with which it views the broadcast and its potential impact on bilateral relations. The programme in question was an episode of the investigative show “Complément d’enquête,” aired on Thursday, examining the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Algeria and France. Algiers accused the broadcaster of targeting the Algerian state, its institutions, and national…

Nigeria has made a major medical milestone, becoming the first African country in the sub-region to sucessfully carry out its first robotic gynaecological surgery. The surgery, carried out at The Prostate Clinic in Lagos by Consultant Robotic Surgeon and Medical Director, Dr Kingsley Ekwueme, marked the expansion of robotic surgery from male-focused treatments to women’s health interventions. Dr. Ekwueme described the procedure as transformative in the treatment of fibroids, endometriosis, ovarian tumours and selected ectopic pregnancies. According to the surgeon, robotic procedures significantly reduce pain, blood loss and lengthy hospital stays associatioed with open surgery, allowing patients to return to…

The Chadian government has introduced stricter rules on police arrests and detentions, banning custody during weekends and public holidays except when someone is caught committing a crime. The new directive, issued by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, was communicated through a circular to magistrates, police units, and gendarmerie brigades nationwide. The measure is based on Law No. 011/AN-SENAT/2025, adopted on December 9, 2025, which amended Article 282 of the Criminal Procedure Code and was formally enacted by presidential decree on January 16, 2026. Authorities say the reform is intended to curb recurring abuses in police and gendarmerie facilities,…

French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined his vision for a renewed partnership between France and African nations, highlighting the need to move beyond patterns inherited from the post-colonial era. His comments were made in the documentary “France-Africa, the Divorce?”, broadcast by the French National Assembly. Macron presented himself as the first French president born after the period of colonisation, noting that the majority of Africa’s population today had no direct experience of that era. He stressed that his approach aims to acknowledge historical realities while fostering relations based on present-day cooperation rather than past conflicts. The French president reaffirmed that…

The Central Committee of the Party of African Peoples – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) has rejected Laurent Gbagbo’s announcement to withdraw from his leadership role, describing his presence as vital in navigating the country’s current political climate. The former Ivorian president who had earlier declared his intension to step aside after the December 27, 2025 legislative elections, was met with resistance from within the party ranks. The position was adopted during the party’s first ordinary session of the year, held on Saturday at Laurent Gbagbo’s office. The meeting brought together heads of party organs and commissions to assess national developments and…

An Adenta Circuit Court in Ghana has remanded a laundry attendant into police custody for allegedly spreading false information about an assassination plot targeting President John Dramani Mahama. The suspect, identified as Ahmed Hassan Abdul Razzaq, is accused of publishing a video on his TikTok account in which he claimed that two military officers – Sergeant Amoh and Sergeant Joseph – were planning to assassinate the president. At his arraignment, the court declined to take Razzaq’s plea and ordered that he remain in custody until his next court appearance scheduled for February 9, 2026. The prosecution is being handled by…

The Nigerian Government has denied banning indigenous languages in schools, clarifying that their use as the main medium of instruction will be limited to ensure students are adequately prepared for national examinations in English. Speaking in an interview, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa explained that a policy introduced three years ago had argued that children learned more effectively when taught in their mother tongue. According to him, the policy was unevenly implemented nationwide with the Southern and North-Central regions failing to adopt it, while the North-West and North-East over-implemented it by extending it beyond the approved levels. Mr Alausa…

President John Dramani Mahama has praised Ghana’s recent economic recovery, attributing the turnaround to policy measures that helped reverse a sharp rise in inflation in less than two years. Speaking at a public event, the President expressed surprise at the strength of the country’s current economic outlook, noting that the recovery had occurred faster than he anticipated when his administration assumed office amid significant economic challenges. He said both the scale and pace of the rebound had exceeded expectations, earning recognition from international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. President Mahama noted that the…