Wheat’s freedom guaranteed, not peace – Russia
Just hours after Moscow and Kyiv agreed to resume global grain exports, Russian-launched missiles hit the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa.
Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, who is on a tour in Africa, stated, following the missile rain, that the deal signed in Instabul to feed the world with wheat did not specify that Moscow would stop attacking Ukraine.
The top Russian diplomat, who is currently in Congo-Brazzaville, insisted that accepting the grain deal did not mean Moscow would stop striking Ukrainian “military targets.” Lavrov went on to say that the strikes were aimed at “the military part of the port,” which is “quite a distance” from the grain terminal.
“There is nothing in the obligations that Russia took on that would forbid us from continuing the special military operation,” Lavrov said, using the Kremlin’s term for the conflict.
Meanwhile, Kyiv said on Monday that the first grain shipments under the UN-backed deal were expected to be exported “this week.”
Furthermore, Lavrov expressed the objectives of Moscow’s war on Ukraine in some of the bluntest terms yet — saying the Kremlin is seeking to topple the Ukrainian government in Kyiv.
“Russians and Ukraine would continue to coexist. We will certainly help Ukrainians in removing the regime, which is both anti-people and anti-history “Lavrov stated.
Lavrov’s trip to Africa is intended to strengthen Russian ties in the region amid growing isolation imposed on Moscow by the West as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. The Russian top diplomat has already visited Egypt and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and is on his way to Uganda and Ethiopia.
However, despite the fact that the blockade of Ukrainian grain exports threatened the continent’s food security, African leaders have remained neutral in the Ukraine conflict.
Why Peter Obi’s strategy to turn Nigeria around is ‘youth-focused’
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party, said in a television interview that youths are the key to his strategy for turning the largest economy in Africa into an export-based economy.
Production
“Nigerian youths are our most valuable asset,” Obi said. “They have a lot of productive energy and talent that needs to be unleashed and turned around. All they want is access to training and capital, and I know how to get that across to them.”
Furthermore, Obi explained his intention to make Port Harcourt and Aba ‘one town’ so as to increase the country’s production capacity and boost non-oil income.
He said that “I am going to make sure there a road, and facility that connects these two towns to turn around our productive sector which is going to be driven by export. Aba is already well-known for producing clothing and shoes; I’ll make PH a significant export seaport, with Aba serving as the location of the manufacturing. In the near future, our exports should not be less than $250 billion.”
Education
When asked how he would reform education and put an end to ongoing strikes, Obi said, “Considering that for us as a country, we have over 15 million out-of-school children, we need to invest in education.”
“One of the worst things you can do is not to allow institutions to run smoothly as expected. Our tertiary school intake is 9% when the global average is 38%. and even that 9% is suffering. It is not acceptable that a university professor should earn less than a councellor.“
“To turn around the tertiary institutions is to sit down with the bodies that are involved with it, find a solution that is a win-win for everybody. When you have an agreement, try to do everything possible to fulfil it and implement it religiously,” he added.
Religion, and Ethnicity
Regarding the method he will use to unify Nigeria as its president, the Labour party flagbearer said, “I will ensure that every part of Nigeria is included, there is justice in the land, things are done fairly, we will consult, negotiate, and ensure no one is left behind.”
In addition, Obi said ‘the issue of ethnicity and religion takes the back seat; those things surface when you are not doing the right thing. Show me anywhere in Nigeria where the Christians or the Muslims buy bread cheaper. Is there any part of the north where there is uninterrupted power supply? If you start doing the right thing, these issues will take a back seat.”
Debt-choked Sri Lanka, gasping for breath
While the International Monetary Fund (IMF’s) funding will be crucial to reviving Sri Lanka’s financial stability, critics argued that the Indian Ocean island nation must first address political unrest and food insecurity.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, the president of Sri Lanka, who was chosen by parliament on Wednesday, is faced with the challenge of leading the nation out of its economic crisis.
After running out of money to pay for food, fuel, and medical care, debt-ridden Sri Lanka collapsed, setting off months of unrest.
The government owes $51 billion (€50 billion) and finds it difficult to make principal and interest payments on these loans amid strained revenue.
The debt crisis was caused by reckless borrowing, corruption, poor government policies, a drop in foreign remittances, tourism, and agriculture, which were the main sources of revenue generated by Sri Lankans.
As a way out, the new government’s first priority will be to restructure Sri Lanka’s massive debts. Negotiations for an IMF bailout are already underway, but they will necessitate further restructuring of existing IMF loans as well as those from China, India, and Japan, according to DW.
Besides, any rescue package will almost certainly come with strings attached, such as the privatization of state-owned enterprises.
Read also: States owe CBN N1.24trn as FAAC disappoints
Zimbabwe issues gold coins to control rising inflation.
Zimbabwe’s central bank has issued gold coins as a response to combating the soaring inflation and a currency slump.
According to the country’s central bank, the interest rate more than doubled to 200 percent this month after annual inflation surpassed 190 percent.
‘The coins will be usable in shops if they have enough change,’ John Mangudya, governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe said.
Also, the gold coin is called “Mosi-oa-Tunya,” which means “The smoke which thunders,” and it refers to Victoria Falls, which is located on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Kenyans prepare to elect a new President
Kenya, one of Africa’s leading economies, will elect a new president on August 9 amid a rise in the cost of living and a crippling drought that will pose challenges to whoever is elected.
All of its previous elections have resulted in either disputes and rigging claims, or outbreaks of deadly violence, or both. Kenyans are hoping that things will be different this time.
Who are the contenders?
Raila Odinga, a four-time failed presidential candidate, is back in the race. The 77-year-old former prime minister is known for being a formidable campaigner.
His main opponent is Deputy President William Ruto, aged 55. On the campaign trail, he has proven to be a match for Mr. Odinga, drawing large crowds.
There are two other names on the ballot that are less well-known.
George Wajackoyah has sparked interest with his proposal to legalize marijuana cultivation and the export of snake venom, whereas David Mwaure Waihiga is running on an anti-corruption platform.
According to the Kenyan constitution, A president is eligible for two consecutive terms of five years each starting from the date the president is sworn in.
In addition to that, To win, a candidate must receive more than half of the votes cast nationally and at least 25% of the votes cast in at least half of the counties. If that threshold is not met, the election will be decided by a second-round run-off between the top two candidates.
Likewise, polls will be open for 12 hours beginning at 6:00 a.m. local time (03:00 GMT) and
officials will begin counting votes at each polling station once the polls close.
However, when the result of the presidential election will be announced is not yet known, but the electoral commission has a maximum of seven days to count and tally the votes.
Furthermore, in Kenya, many votes are cast along ethnic lines, and in previous years, this has sometimes erupted into nationwide violence, with people being attacked and killed based solely on which community they belong to.
The disputed December 2007 election was followed by weeks of ethnic-based violence in which 1,200 people were killed and over 500,000 fled their homes.
Politicians have been keen to emphasize peaceful democratic engagement since then. However, the issue of ethnicity has not gone away.
