July 18, 2023 – Namibia News Digest

July 18, 2023

Major Shake-Up in World’s Passport Power Ranking

LONDON, July 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Japan has been knocked off the top spot on the Henley Passport Index for the first time in five years and bumped into 3^rd place, according to the latest ranking, which is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Singapore is now officially the most powerful passport in the world, with its citizens able to visit 192 destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free. Germany, Italy, and Spain all move up into 2^nd place with visa-free access to 190 destinations, and Japanese passport holders join those of six other nations — Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden — in 3^rd place with access to 189 destinations without a prior visa.

The UK appears to have finally turned the corner after a six-year decline, jumping up two places on the latest ranking to 4^th place — a position it last held in 2017. The US, on the other hand, continues its now decade-long slide down the index, plummeting a further two places to 8^th spot with access to just 184 destinations visa-free. Both the UK and the US jointly held 1^st place on the index nearly 10 years ago in 2014, but have been on a downward trajectory ever since. Afghanistan remains entrenched at the bottom of the Henley Passport Index, with a visa-free access score of just 27, followed by Iraq (score of 29), and Syria (score of 30) — the three weakest passports in the world.

The general trend over the history of the 18-year-old ranking has been towards greater travel freedom, with the average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2023. However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access 165 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan.

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, says only eight countries worldwide have less visa-free access today than they did a decade ago, while others have been more successful in securing greater travel freedom for their citizens. “The UAE has added an impressive 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013, resulting in a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking over the past 10 years from 56^th to 12^th position. Of the countries sitting in the Top 10, the US has seen the smallest increase in its score, securing just 12 additional destinations. Singapore, by comparison, has increased its score by 25, pushing it up five places over the past 10 years to number one.”

Commenting in the Henley Global Mobility Report 2023 Q3, released today alongside the latest index, Greg Lindsay from Cornell Tech’s Jacobs Institute, says that from a purely mechanical perspective, “the story is a simple one — by more or less standing still, the US has fallen behind. While its absolute score has in fact risen over the last decade, the US has been steadily overtaken by rivals such as South Korea, Japan, and Singapore. America’s relentless slide down the rankings is a warning to its neighbor Canada and the rest of the Anglosphere as well.”

The links between visa-free access and openness

Henley & Partners has conducted exclusive new research into the relationship between a country’s openness to foreigners — how many nations it allows to cross its borders visa-free — and its own citizens’ travel freedom. The new Henley Openness Index ranks all 199 countries worldwide according to the number of nationalities they permit entry to without a prior visa.

The Top 20 ‘most open’ countries are all small island nations or African states, except for Cambodia. There are 12 countries that are completely open to all passports and four that don’t allow anyone in visa-free. While the correlation between a high openness score and high visa-free access score is not straightforward, it is notable that Singapore and South Korea — high climbers on the Henley Passport Index Top 10 over last decade, moving up from 6^th and 7^th respectively in 2013 to 1^st and 3^rd today — boast relatively high degrees of openness compared to the 5 countries with the biggest disparity between the travel freedom they enjoy, versus the visa-free access they provide to other nationalities. US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have all either slid down the ranking or remained in the same place as their openness stagnates.

Prof. Peter J. Spiro, who holds the Charles Weiner Chair in international law at Temple University, says America’s extension of visa-free access is low, even by the standard of developed economies. “EU states grant visa-free privileges to more than twice the number of states than does the US. Processing delays, high refusal rates, and a reputation for disagreeable customer service are tarnishing the attractiveness of the US as a destination. Add to that the growing reputation of the US as ridden with gun violence and one can project a long-term trajectory in which US global standing further erodes.”

Read the full Press Release

Media Contact

Sarah Nicklin

Group Head of PR

sarah.nicklin@henleyglobal.com

Mobile: +27 72 464 8965

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000830180

July 18, 2023

Changement majeur dans le classement mondial de la puissance des passeports

LONDRES, 18 juill. 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pour la première fois en cinq ans, le Japon a été détrôné de la première place du Henley Passport Index pour passer à la 3^e place, selon le dernier classement réalisé sur la base des données exclusives et officielles de l’Assocation internationale du transport aérien (IATA). Désormais, c’est Singapour qui délivre officiellement le passeport le plus puissant au monde, permettant à ses citoyens de visiter 192 destinations sur 227 dans le monde sans visa. L’Allemagne, l’Italie et l’Espagne se hissent toutes à la 2^e place avec un accès sans visa à 190 destinations, et les détenteurs d’un passeport japonais rejoignent la position de six autres pays : l’Autriche, la Finlande, la France, le Luxembourg, la Corée du Sud et la Suède — en 3^e place avec accès à 189 destinations sans visa préalable.

Le Royaume-Uni semble avoir finalement inversé la tendance après une baisse de six années consécutives en regagnant deux places dans le dernier classement pour passer à la 4^e place, une position que le pays a occupé pour la dernière fois en 2017. Les États-Unis, en revanche, poursuivent depuis maintenant une décennie leur dégringolade dans le classement de l’indice, chutant de deux places supplémentaires à la 8^e place avec un accès sans visa à seulement 184 destinations. Il y a près de dix ans, en 2014, le Royaume-Uni et les États-Unis occupaient conjointement la 1^ère place de l’indice, mais ont suivi depuis une trajectoire descendante. L’Afghanistan reste bien ancrée au bas du Henley Passport Index, avec un score d’accès sans visa de seulement 27, suivi de l’Irak (29) et de la Syrie (30), ces trois pays délivrant les passeports les plus faibles au monde.

Au cours des 18 années de l’histoire du classement, la tendance générale a été vers une plus grande liberté de voyager, le nombre moyen de destinations auxquelles les voyageurs peuvent accéder sans visa ayant presque doublé, passant ainsi de 58 en 2006 à 109 en 2023. Cependant, l’écart de mobilité mondiale entre ceux qui se trouvent au sommet de l’indice et ceux qui se trouvent en bas de celui-ci est à présent plus large qu’il ne l’a jamais été, avec Singapour en tête du classement, ce pays pouvant accéder sans visa à 165 destinations de plus que l’Afghanistan.

Christian H. Kaelin, président de Henley & Partners, déclare que seuls huit pays dans le monde disposent d’un accès sans visa plus limité aujourd’hui qu’il y a dix ans, tandis que d’autres pays ont mieux réussi à obtenir une plus grande liberté de déplacement pour leurs citoyens. « Les Émirats arabes unis ont ajouté le nombre impressionnant de 107 destinations supplémentaires à leur accès sans visa depuis 2013, ce qui a entraîné un bond massif de 44 places dans le classement au cours des 10 dernières années, passant de la 56^e à la 12^e position. Parmi les pays figurant dans le Top 10, les États-Unis ont enregistré la plus faible augmentation de leur score, n’obtenant que douze destinations supplémentaires. Singapour, en comparaison, a augmenté son score de 25 destinations supplémentaires, faisant grimper ce pays de cinq places au cours des dix dernières années pour devenir numéro un du classement. »

Greg Lindsay de l’Institut Jacobs de Cornell Tech, commentant le Henley Global Mobility Report 2023 Q3, publié aujourd’hui en même temps que le dernier indice, déclare que d’un point de vue purement mécanique, « l’explication est toute simple : en restant plus ou moins dans l’immobilisme, les États-Unis ont pris du retard. Alors que leur score absolu a en réalité augmenté au cours de la dernière décennie, les États-Unis ont été régulièrement dépassés par des rivaux tels que la Corée du Sud, le Japon et Singapour. La chute incessante de l’Amérique dans le classement est un avertissement pour son voisin, le Canada, ainsi que pour le reste de l’anglosphère. »

Les liens entre accès sans visa et ouverture

Henley & Partners a mené de nouvelles recherches exclusives sur la relation qui existe entre l’ouverture d’un pays aux étrangers – à combien de nations il permet de traverser ses frontières sans visa – et la liberté de voyager de ses propres citoyens. Le nouveau Henley Openness Index classe les 199 pays du monde en fonction du nombre de nationalités auxquelles ils autorisent l’entrée sans visa préalable sur leur territoire.

Le Top 20 des pays « les plus ouverts » sont tous des petits États insulaires ou des États africains, à l’exception du Cambodge. On dénombre ainsi douze pays complètement ouverts à tous les passeports, et quatre autres qui n’autorisent personne à entrer sur leur territoire sans visa. Bien que la corrélation entre un score d’ouverture élevé et un score d’accès sans visa élevé ne soit pas toujours simple, il est à noter que Singapour et la Corée du Sud – qui enregistrent les meilleures progressions du Top 10 du Henley Passport Index au cours de la dernière décennie en passant de la 6^e et de la 7^e place respectivement en 2013 à la 1^e et à la 3^e place aujourd’hui – affichent des degrés d’ouverture relativement élevés par rapport aux cinq pays présentant la plus grande disparité entre la liberté de voyager dont ils bénéficient et l’accès sans visa qu’ils offrent aux autres nationalités. Les États-Unis, le Canada, l’Australie, la Nouvelle-Zélande et le Japon ont tous reculé dans le classement ou sont restés à la même position parce que leur degré d’ouverture a stagné.

Le professeur Peter J. Spiro, titulaire de la chaire Charles Weiner de droit international à l’université Temple, affirme que l’extension de l’accès sans visa proposée par les États-Unis est faible, même par rapport à la norme des économies développées. « Les États de l’UE accordent des privilèges sans visa à plus de deux fois plus d’États que ne le font les États-Unis. Les retards de traitement, les taux de refus élevés et la réputation d’un service client désagréable ternissent l’attrait des États-Unis en tant que destination. Si l’on ajoute à cela la réputation croissante des États-Unis en tant que pays en proie à la violence armée, on peut envisager une trajectoire à long terme dans laquelle la position mondiale des États-Unis s’érode davantage encore. »

Lire le communiqué de presse complet

Contact média

Sarah Nicklin

Responsable Groupe des RP

sarah.nicklin@henleyglobal.com

Numéro de téléphone portable : +27 72 464 8965

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000830180

July 18, 2023

Grande Mudança na Classificação Mundial de Passaportes

LONDRES, July 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — O Japão foi destituído do primeiro lugar no Henley Passport Index pela primeira vez em cinco anos e esbarrou no 3^º lugar, de acordo com a última classificação, que é baseada em dados exclusivos e oficiais da Associação Internacional de Transporte Aéreo (IATA). Agora, Cingapura possui oficialmente o passaporte mais poderoso do mundo, com seus cidadãos podendo visitar 192 destinos de um total de 227 ao redor do mundo, sem a necessidade de visto. Alemanha, Itália e Espanha sobem para o 2^º lugar, com acesso sem visto a 190 destinos, e os portadores de passaporte japonês se juntam aos de outras seis nações — Áustria, Finlândia, França, Luxemburgo, Coreia do Sul e Suécia — em 3^ºlugar, com acesso a 189 destinos sem visto prévio.

O Reino Unido parece ter finalmente dado a volta por cima depois de um declínio de seis anos, saltando duas posições na última classificação para o 4^º lugar — uma posição que ocupou pela última vez em 2017. Os EUA, por outro lado, continuam sua queda de uma década no índice, despencando mais duas posições para o 8^º lugar, com acesso a apenas 184 destinos sem visto. Tanto o Reino Unido quanto os EUA ocupavam juntos o 1^º lugar no índice há quase 10 anos, em 2014, mas estão em uma trajetória de queda desde então. O Afeganistão continua entrincheirado na parte inferior do Henley Passport Index, com uma pontuação de acesso sem visto de apenas 27, seguido pelo Iraque (pontuação de 29) e Síria (pontuação de 30) — os três passaportes mais fracos do mundo.

A tendência geral ao longo da história da classificação de 18 anos tem sido no sentido de uma maior liberdade de viagens, com o número médio de destinos que os viajantes conseguem acessar sem visto quase duplicando, de 58 em 2006 para 109 em 2023. No entanto, a diferença de mobilidade global entre aqueles que estão no topo e na base do índice é agora maior do que nunca, com Cingapura no primeiro lugar capaz de acessar 165 destinos a mais, sem visto, do que o Afeganistão.

O Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, presidente da Henley & Partners, diz que apenas oito países em todo o mundo têm menos acesso sem visto hoje do que há uma década, enquanto outros foram mais bem-sucedidos em garantir maior liberdade de viagem para seus cidadãos. “Os Emirados Árabes Unidos adicionaram impressionantes 107 destinos à sua pontuação sem visto desde 2013, resultando em um salto maciço de 44 posições na classificação nos últimos 10 anos, da 56^ª para a 12^ª posição. Dos países que estão no Top 10, os EUA tiveram o menor aumento em sua pontuação, garantindo apenas 12 destinos adicionais. Cingapura, em comparação, aumentou sua pontuação em 25, empurrando-a cinco posições nos últimos 10 anos para o número um.”

Comentando no Henley Global Mobility Report 2023 Q3, divulgado hoje junto com o último índice, Greg Lindsay do Jacobs Institute da Cornell Tech, diz que, de uma perspectiva puramente mecânica, “a história é simples: ao ficarem mais ou menos parados, os EUA ficaram para trás. Embora sua pontuação absoluta tenha de fato aumentado na última década, os EUA têm sido constantemente ultrapassados por rivais como Coreia do Sul, Japão e Cingapura. A queda implacável dos Estados Unidos na classificação é um alerta para seu vizinho Canadá e para o resto da Anglosfera também.”

As ligações entre a isenção de vistos e a abertura

A Henley & Partners realizou uma nova pesquisa exclusiva sobre a relação entre a abertura de um país a estrangeiros — quantas nações ele permite cruzar suas fronteiras sem visto — e a liberdade de viagem de seus próprios cidadãos. O novo Henley Openness Index classifica todos os 199 países em todo o mundo de acordo com o número de nacionalidades que permitem a entrada sem visto prévio.

Os 20 países “mais abertos” são todas as pequenas nações insulares ou estados africanos, exceto o Camboja. Há 12 países que estão completamente abertos a todos os passaportes e quatro que não permitem que ninguém fique sem visto. Embora a correlação entre uma alta pontuação de abertura e alta pontuação de acesso sem visto não seja direta, é notável que Cingapura e Coreia do Sul — os que mais subiram no Henley Passport Index Top 10 na última década, passando de 6^º e 7^º respectivamente em 2013 para 1^º e 3^º hoje — ostentam graus relativamente altos de abertura em comparação com os 5 países com a maior disparidade entre a liberdade de viagem de que desfrutam, versus o acesso sem visto que proporcionam a outras nacionalidades. EUA, Canadá, Austrália, Nova Zelândia e Japão caíram na classificação ou permaneceram no mesmo lugar com a estagnação de sua abertura.

O Prof. Peter J. Spiro, que ocupa a Cátedra Charles Weiner de Direito Internacional na Temple University, diz que a extensão do acesso americano à isenção de vistos é baixa, mesmo para o padrão das economias desenvolvidas. “Os países da UE concedem privilégios de isenção de visto a mais do dobro do número de países do que os EUA. Atrasos no processamento, altas taxas de recusa e uma reputação de atendimento ao cliente desagradável estão manchando a atratividade dos EUA como destino. Acrescente-se a isso a crescente reputação dos EUA como dominados pela violência armada e pode-se projetar uma trajetória de longo prazo em que a posição global dos EUA se desgasta ainda mais.”

Leia o Comunicado na íntegra

Contato com a Imprensa

Sarah Nicklin

Chefe de Grupo de Relações Públicas

sarah.nicklin@henleyglobal.com

Celular: +27 72 464 8965

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000830180

July 18, 2023

Police grill girl, boy friend for allegedly dumping baby in dustbin

The Police in Adamawa have arrested a girl and her boyfriend who allegedly killed their baby and dumped the body in a dustbin on July 8, in Yola.

The suspects, Blessing Ben and Luka Iliyasu were said to have been in courtship for two years before the girl got pregnant.

According to SP Suleiman Yahaya-Nguroje, spokesperson of the Police Command, “Blessing was put in a family way by her boy friend, Luka a resident of Police barracks Yola, after two years of courtship”.

He told newsmen in Yola on Tuesday that Blessing who resides in Jambutu area of Yola North Local Government Area, had however denied killing the baby, claiming that it was delivered prematurely.

“I had a safe and peaceful delivery but the baby was lifeless hence my decision to dump it in the dustbin.

“When I discovered that it was a still birth, I kept the corpse for two days before I dumped it in the dustbin and even my aunt whom I have been living with did not know that I was pregnant for nine months,” she told newsmen.

The police spokesman said that the suspects would be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

July 18, 2023

Alleged contract breach: Nigerian seeks $150m damages against Google, GoDaddy.Com

A Nigerian, Mr Chianugo Peter, has sought a 150 million dollars compensation from Google and GoDaddy.com over allegations bordering on the shutdown of his YouTube Audio domain name after eight years of promotional and marketing works.

Peter, through his lawyer, Emmanuel Ekpenyong of Fred-Young & Evans LP, filed the suit before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of a Federal High Court, Abuja.

The plaintiff, in the application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/238/2023, sued GoDaddy.Com LLC and Google LLC as 1st and 2nd defendants.

In the suit filed April 14, sought the court declaration that he registered the YouTube Audio business name, commenced trademark registration on the logo of the business name and secured the YouTubeAudio.com domain name from the GoDaddy in good faith to carry out genuine business to host his application thereon to attract users.

He also sought a declaration that since GoDaddy and Google encouraged him to make use of the YouTubeAudio.com domain name for the past eight years, “they are estopped from claiming that the domain name infringes any of their trademarks or deny the plaintiff the use of the YouTubeAudio.com domain name.

“A declaration of this Honourable Court that the plaintiff is entitled to compensation from the defendants for the loss of the YouTubeAudio.com brand and goodwill which has accrued on the brand and domain name for 8 years of promotional and marketing works from 2nd July, 2015 to 7th December, 2022.

Peter, therefore, sought an order directing the defendants to pay him the sum of $50 million for promotional and marketing works on the YouTube Audio business name and YouTube Audio.com domain name for eight years from July 2, 2015 to Dec. 7, 2022.

“An order of this Honourable Court directing the defendants to pay the sum of US $ 100, 000, 000 (One Hundred Million United States Dollars) to the plaintiff for loss of anticipated profits associated with the brand equity and goodwill of YouTube Audio and YouTube Audio.com domain name.

“An order of this Honourable Court directing the defendants to pay the Plaintiff the sum of N50, 000, 000 (Fifty Million naira) to enable the plaintiff to carry out fresh registrations of its new name and secure an alternative domain name to host its application to attract users.

“An order of this Honourable Court directing the defendants to pay the sum of N10, 00, 000 (Ten Million naira) paid to the plaintiff’s counsel for prosecution of this suit.”

In the statement of claim, Peter said he was the owner of the YouTube Audio, also known as YTAudio which could be accessed through platforms such as Google Play Store and Apple Store in Nigeria.

According to him, YouTube Audio is a creative mobile application that encourages users to be more creative and enjoy utilising audio as a primary source of entertainment, information, and expression.

He said sometime in 2015, he acquired YoutubeAudio.com and YoutubeAudio.ca. domain names from GoDaddy without any caveat that it infringed the YouTube trademark or any other products of Google.

He further averred that in that year when he applied to GoDaddy to obtain the YouTubeAudio.com and YoutubeAudio.ca domain names, GoDaddycarried out an availability check and confirmed that the names were available for him.

Peter said GoDaddy did not inform him that neither YouTubeAudio.com nor YoutubeAudio.ca domain name was similar to YouTube or any trademark of Google.

“It was upon this premise that the plaintiff consistently paid for the domain name and carried out promotional and marketing works on the domain name,” he said.

Besides, he said from 2015 to April 2022 when he carried out extensive promotional and marketing works on the domain name, Google did not lay claim to the domain name or insist that it was similar to the YouTube trademark.

The plaintiff said he even paid Google to host the YouTube Audio.com application on the Google Play Store in 2021 without any query that the domain was similar to the YouTube trademark or any of its other trademarks.

Peter said the YouTube Audio was duly registered on Feb. 22, 2016 as a business name with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as BN 2395035 and continuously filed tax returns with the Federal Inland Revenue Service in Nigeria (FIRS).

He said the domain was fully established and had a management team, business address, foreign and local bank accounts with several banks, including master card and cheque books.

He said it was after eight years of serious promotional and marketing works on the YouTubeAudio.comdomain name to make it attractive to users and launch its application thereon that the defendants suddenly claimed that the domain name was similar to the YouTube trademark.

Peter, who stressed that GoDaddy registered the YouTube audio.com domain name and gave him the assurance that he had acquired a right over the name.

He insisted that Google also gave him the assurance that he had acquired a right over the name when it took no action throughout the eight years period when he carried out promotional works on the name and even gave approval for the YouTube Audio application to be listed on Google Play Store in 2021.

He said it was based on the assurances of the defendants that he relied upon and incurred tremendous cost and expenses in registering and branding the YouTube Audio.com business and domain name and carried out wide promotional works on the name for eight years.

According to him, on 29th April, 2022, the 2nd defendant (Google), through its Solicitor, Aluko & Oyebode contacted the plaintiff to express its concerns about YouTube Audio and its similarities with YouTube.

He said Google’s lawyer called for amicably settlement of the issue and advised him to change its business name, social media pages, domain names and trading style to YTAudio.

He said through his lawyer, he agreed to an amicable settlement of the issue only if Google was willing to compensate him.

He said instead of taking steps to compensate him, GoDaddy shut down his domain on a claim that it infringed the YouTube trademark after an arbitration proceedings against him before the Forum under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, adopted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

According to him, on the basis of the forum’s decision, the 1st defendant shut down the plaintiff’s YouTubeAudio.com domain name and transferred it to the 2nd defendant on 7th December, 2022.

Peter argued that Google did not have a monopoly of the “YouTube” acronym and that was why there were other independent companies and domain names with the “YouTube” acronym such as “YouTube Downloader”, “YouTube Promoter”, “ssyoutube.com”, “YouTube to MP4 Converter” amongst others.

He said that the defendants acted against the assurances they gave him that he acquired a right over the YouTube Audio.com domain name when they commenced arbitration against him and took over the name without any compensation.

When the matter came up for report of service of originating processes on the defendants, only the plaintiff lawyer, Ekpenyong, and counsel to Google, Mark Mordi, SAN, were in court.

Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter until Oct 11 for mention.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

July 18, 2023

My wife beats me constantly, divorce-seeking husband tells court

Mr Raphael Chima, a businessman, on Tuesday, dragged his wife, Joy, before a Customary Court in Jikwoyi because she frequently beats him.

He made the allegation in a divorce petition he filed against her before the court.

“My wife physically abuses and harasses me. She slaps me at the slightest chance. She abuses me mentally,” he said.

He also told the court that his wife was disrespectful to his parents.

The petitioner told the court that his wife has long abandoned their child to him, that he has been the only one caring for the child without the help of his wife.

He prayed the court to grant him the custody of the only child of the marriage and dissolve the marriage between him and his wife.

The respondent, Joy denied the allegations.

The presiding judge, Dada Oluwaseyi, advised the couple to explore reconciliation.

Oluwaseyi adjourned the matter until July 27, for report of settlement or hearing.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

July 18, 2023

Nigerian Army to improve personnel welfare for efficient performance – COAS

“This entails a sound administration through The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, said the Nigerian Army would improve personnel welfare for efficient performance in the fight against terrorism and banditry.

Lagbaja stated this on Tuesday during the opening ceremony of the Project Management Workshop 2023 for Nigerian Army project officers at Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering (NASME), Makurdi.

Lagbaja, who was represented by Maj.- Gen. Hillary Nzan, Commander 4 Special Forces, Doma, said the welfare of the personnel was paramount.

He said, “notable achievements in combating terrorism, banditry and various unscrupulous elements across the country were greatly attributed to the enhancement of personnel’s welfare.

“Achieving this command philosophy is contingent upon a resolute psychological influence that instils willingness to engage in combat, which can be accomplished by exhibiting adequate care for the wellbeing of personnel.

purposeful welfare programmes for personnel and members of their families, to enhance their wellbeing.

“Some of the welfare packages will include the construction/rehabilitation of facilities across Nigerian Army formations and units, including accommodation, office complexes, training schools and other support facilities in the barracks,” he said.

The COAS said the workshop sought to refresh officers on modern best practices and processes in risk management in project delivery in the Nigerian Army.

He said the workshop would offer an opportunity to appraise previous performances in project management with a view to achieving better outcomes with limited resources.

“The Nigerian Army executes most of its projects through direct labour.

“Therefore, project officers responsible for the execution of these projects or supervising contracted projects, must be competent and proficient in risk management in the delivery of high-quality projects.

“It is on this note that the theme of this workshop which is, “Efficient risk management in project delivery in the Nigerian Army,” is appropriate.

“The topics for presentation and discussion will no doubt broaden participants’ knowledge on risk management in project execution.

“I therefore enjoin you to take maximum advantage of this workshop to build capacity and develop competence.

“I am hopeful that the intellectual discourse during this Workshop will provide useful policy options for contemporary and future projects delivery.”

Lagbaja said he would support all measures seeking to better the living and working conditions of personnel.

He said the army would continue to work assiduously with the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force as well as other security agencies and relevant stakeholders to ensure enduring peace in the nation.

He urged the participants to put in their best and adopt a resolute attitude of excellence in carrying out their responsibilities as Nigerian Army project officers.

Earlier, Maj.- Gen. Shamsideen Shafaru, Coordinator, Nigerian Army Special Projects, said the workshop was aimed at improving the capacity of participants on the global best practices in project management.

Shafaru said the anticipated outcomes of the workshop included identification, assessment and prioritisation of risks in construction, which will serve as the basis for better coordination and application of resources to minimise and control the probability of unfortunate events.

“This is targeted at updating participants on common risk management practices in construction work, with the goal of ensuring safety and efficient use of project resources within the Nigerian Army.

“Resource persons within and outside the military have been carefully selected as presenters, discussants and moderators to share their wealth of knowledge and experience with the participants. I therefore urge all participants to take the workshop seriously in order to maximise its benefits.

“I must acknowledge that the Nigerian Army Special Projects unit has continued to enjoy effective supervisory efforts by engineering formations across the country through your guidance.

“It suffices to state that the implementation of outcomes and recommendations following previous workshops have gone a long way in reshaping the capacity of engineer officers in project execution, supervision and delivery.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

July 18, 2023

NPA generates N191.4bn, remits N55.7bn in 6 months

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has generated N191.4 billion revenue in the first half of 2023 and remitted N55.7 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

The NPA, Managing Director, Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, stated this in half year report on Tuesday in Lagos.

Bello-Koko said that given the existential economic headwinds both at the micro and macro levels, the operational statistics for the first six months were reassuring.

He said that the data catalysed the commendable remittances to the CRFof the Federal Government.

“Within the context of current global economic upheavals which have affected trade volumes in all climes, our current growth trajectory is encouraging.

“This gives us confidence to project a revenue growth of over N500 billion with concomitant increase in remittance to the CRF by end-of-year 2023, given that shipping activities peak around the second half of the year.

“The smart policy thrust of the new administration which is already throwing up new vistas of growth further lends credence to the feasibility of our projections and gives fillip to our organisational initiatives,” he said.

Bello-Koko said the operationalisation of Lekki Deep Seaport, expected restoration of the service boat management contract, digitalisation and intensified tightening of collections mechanisms buoys their confidence to exceed the revenue projections.

“The authority has completed operations on a total number of 1851 vessels for the 1st half of 2023 with a combined Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) of 57,870,083.

“Cargo throughput for the period under review stood at 33,895,784 metric tonnes, whilst container traffic was 707,985 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units).

“A key indicator of port efficiency which is the average turn-around-time (TAT) of vessels, stood at 5.16 days.

“This is an improvement and we have put measures in place to surpass in the second half of 2023,” he said.

Bello-Koko said that the authority was poised to transform its projections to actualities.

He said the NPA would focus on finalising financing arrangements for port rehabilitation drive, conclusion of all digitalisations geared toward improvement of efficiency during the second half of the year.

He said the authority would collaborate with landlocked neighbouring countries such as Niger and Chad for transshipment of their cargoes.

“As a management team, we remain unwavering in our resolve to continuously improve on service excellence, blocking avenues of income leakages.

“We will also curb waste and tighten collection mechanisms in a bid to surpass stakeholders’ expectations and support the national economy,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

July 18, 2023

Petrol hits N617 in Abuja

The price of Petrol, known as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has increased from 537 to 617 naira Per litre in the Federal Capital Territory.

The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who monitored the petrol situations in Maitama, Wuse, Gwarimpa, Jabi, Wuye and Kubwa areas of Abuja reports that there are long queues in filling stations still selling at the old price.

Most stations have adjusted their pump prices to N617 to N620 but AA Rano, Nipco in Jabi are still selling the old price and some other few places.

Also, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) station is selling at the new price.

A fuel attendant, who pleaded anonymity said that they would adjust their pump price before the end of today.

A customer who confirmed this development, Mr Emma Uzor, said that it is a terrible situation.

“We are still battling with new price and with two months they increase it again, this is not fair to the masses.

“ No information or reasons for the increment, how do they want the poor masses to survive? The salaries have not been increased and food prices have risen.

“ The government should go back to their drawing board and come up with favourable conclusion from the citizens,” Uzor said.

NAN reports that the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NDMPRA), oil marketers are yet to make any announcements.

Recall that in May a day after President Tinubu was sworn into Power the Nation’s Apex Petrol station increased the fuel price from N195 per litre to 537 per litre.

The development was occasioned by Tinubu’s inaugural speech, where he said fuel subsidies would be removed.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

July 18, 2023

FILDA kicks off with US debut and Brazilian return

The 38th edition of the Luanda International Fair (FILDA) kicks off Tuesday at Luanda/Bengo Special Economic Zone (ZEE),with the return of businesspeople from Brazil and the debut of the United States of America (USA), through the business area of its diplomatic mission in Angola.

With about 1,000 participants, exhibitions of products and services will be displayed until June 22 of the event running under the motto “Digital economy, the new world frontier”.

The debut of the USA to the event and the return of Brazil, with the participation of the Association of Brazilian Entrepreneurs, are among other novelties of this event.

Portugal, Italy, Indonesia, Turkey, Germany, Japan, among others, are also part of the range of countries to exhibit at FILDA 2023.

The 37th edition of FILDA took place in July 2022, in a 21,000 square metres area of the ZEE, bringing together 629 exhibitors and 15 countries, having received more than 32,000 visitors.

The Luanda International Fair is a stage to showcase and promote national production, which emphasises the diversification of the economy, business and the promotion of employment.

As the largest multi-sectoral fair, FILDA has been the main showcase for the presentation of national companies, brands, products and services.

The fair promotes exchange and diversification, bringing together national and foreign entrepreneurs in all of its editions to establish business contacts, commercial and diplomatic relations with Angola.

Since its first edition in 1983, FILDA has been seen by exhibitors as a showcase of Angola’s capabilities and potential to stimulate the increase of national production and launch of new economic bridges.

Until 2016, FILDA was organised by different management entities, with the Ministry of Economy and Planning as promoter of the event and Eventos Arena as organizer since the 33rd edition.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

July 18, 2023

Oil production stands at 33.6 million barrels

Angola’s oil production stood at 33.6 million barrels in June this year, compared to the previous period in May there was a decrease of 831, 200 barrels.

ANGOP learnt that the daily average production was 1,120,246 barrels of oil (BOPD), exceeding the forecast of 1,114,439 BOPD, according to the monthly report of the National Agency for Oil, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG).

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data for the first quarter of this year point to a drop in crude oil production of around 8% compared to the last quarter of 2022.

In the first quarter of this year, Angola exported 87.92 million barrels of oil for a total of US $ 6.92 billion.

The reduction in exports impacted the revenue collection component of the state coffers.

Still in June, associated gas production during the same period was 79. 158 million cubic feet, corresponding to a daily average of 2.639 million cubic feet (MMSCFD).

Of this volume, 1.325 MMSCFD is injected, 598 MMSCFD made available to the Angola LNG plant, 338 MMSCFD for power generation at the oil facilities and the remainder used in operations and oil disposal

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

July 18, 2023

CRAN lifts services licences standstill period

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has announced that it will lift the stand-still period for applications of broadcasting and telecommunications services licences, on 01 October this year.

CRAN on 01 October 2022, imposed a standstill period on the consideration of applications for broadcasting and telecommunications service licences to enable it to collect data from the market to assess whether the markets are saturated.

CRAN’s Executive for Communications and Consumer Relations Katrina Sikeni in a media statement on Tuesday said after various stakeholder consultations in 2021, CRAN was implored to conduct a market study for the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors, to determine the current market level of market competition, market saturation, and any existing barriers to entry.

“It was appropriate that CRAN maintain a stable market, in terms of market players, while conducting the study,” she said.

The study, Sikeni noted, was conducted based on a fixed data set, particularly the number of telecommunications and broadcasting service licensees currently in the market, and hence the standstill period.

“The data collection has been completed, and CRAN will begin accepting new applications,” she added.

She further stated, that it is paramount that CRAN continuously studies market dynamics to align the regulatory framework to best practices and emerging trends in regulation to ensure fair competition and facilitate investments into the sector.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

July 18, 2023

Two die in helicopter crash at Swakopmund

Police in the Erongo Region have confirmed the death of two men after the helicopter they were flying in reportedly fell from the sky and crashed east of Swakopmund airfield on Monday.

According to a preliminary incident report issued by Erongo Region Community Policing Commander Inspector Ileni Shapumba, it was alleged that the pilot and the helicopter engineer from the Swakopmund Flying School took the helicopter for a test after fixing it.

Shapumba added that both the men were busy fixing the new rotary blades which were recently inserted on the helicopter, after which they took it for a test. However whilst up in the air, the pilot lost control over the helicopter, which resulted in it crashing, causing their instant death.

The incident happened at about 15h53.

The Directorate of Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigations in the Ministry of Works and Transport attended the scene and both this unit and the police are investigating the matter further.

The deceased are yet to be identified.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

July 18, 2023

MPs should understand their roles in standing committees: Nakutta

Director of Committee Services in the National Assembly Kathleen-Joyce Nakutta said it is pertinent for members of parliament (MPs) to understand their roles in parliamentary standing committees to ensure decisions that benefit Namibians are effectively taken.

Nakutta was speaking to the media on the side lines of a workshop on the Validation of Rules for the Establishment, Functioning and Procedures of Committees of the National Assembly in Swakopmund on Tuesday.

According to Nakutta, there is currently a vacuum in members’ current roles in terms of who should decide on how standing committees should be composed and “we are currently discussing whether we should continue using the current standing rules that describe who the members of the standing rules and orders committees are.”

She said at this point, the rules are not fully composed, because the chairpersons of committees are not established yet.

Nakutta added that the issues are being discussed to ensure that there are no more similar challenges experienced when the 7th parliament occupied positions where it took a while to establish certain rules because there was no consensus.

Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) MP and Chief Whip Elma Dienda noted that the current standing rules are not practical as some issues have been left out.

“This applies to, for instance, the absence of a description of what a chief whip is and their duties and responsibilities, which is an issue that needs to be cleared.

During the case between parliament and LPM, some of these challenges such as the mandate of the speaker or MP and how they should be treated, came up during the arguments, so we need to go through these matters,” Dienda expressed.

LPM’s Bernadus Swartbooi and Henny Seibeb successfully appealed in the Supreme Court against their suspension from parliament, when their suspension was set aside and declared unlawful and of no effect.

This comes after the two MPs were suspended from parliament on 19 April 2021 after disruptive behaviour during the State of the Nation Address by President Hage Geingob on 15 April, causing their removal from the house.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

July 18, 2023

Geingos highlights OAFLAD’s effectiveness in closing gender gap in Africa

First Lady of Namibia Monica Geingos highlighted the effectiveness of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLAD) as a powerful advocacy platform to close the gender gap in Africa.

Geingos made this remark at the inaugural programme of the Global First Ladies Academy (GFLA), co-hosted by OAFLAD, the GFLA, and the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, in New York, United States of America (USA), on Thursday.

Speaking at the event, Geingos said the campaign will leverage the social capital of African First Ladies throughout the continent to spotlight the unfinished business of gender equality and the multiplier effect it will have on Africa’s developmental trajectory.

“We are equal, and by working together, our society can be too,” Geingos said.

Geingos also called on the multiple research partners who attended the public sessions to help shape effective messages on the collective action required to close the gender gap across four campaign pillars, namely health, gender-based violence, education, and economic empowerment. The tools learned during the First Ladies Academy will enable the enhancement of advocacy tools to be used during OAFLAD’s ‘We are Equal’ campaign.

The First Lady also extended her gratitude to the GFLA and Columbia University for being incredible partners in the ideation and execution of the GFLA.

Moreover, she thanked the First Lady of the USA, Jill Biden, for her friendship, sincerity, and commitment to building a meaningful relationship with African First Ladies.

This is due to Biden’s first trip to Africa as First Lady, during which she visited Namibia and then Kenya.

Participating First Ladies from Botswana, Burundi, the Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe were awarded certificates for their participation in the graduate level Executive Leadership Programme to advance health and development.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency