Imagine sipping on a cup of traditional Inner Mongolian tea, its warmth seeping into your soul as you gaze out at the endless expanse of lush grasslands. The scene is like a painting, where horses gallop carelessly, and cows and sheep graze contentedly under the vast blue sky. This picturesque landscape of Hulun Buir in Inner Mongolia, China, is a testament to the beauty and ecological richness of well-managed grasslands. It is here that I embarked on a journey to…

Following an online backlash, the South African Presidency has come out to clarify the comment by President Cyril Ramaphosa that visa regulations for Nigerian tourists coming to the country would be eased.  The clarification has eased the pressure on Ramaphosa who was already facing an online backlash for suggesting that in order to ease the flow of people between South Africa and Nigeria, the process would be simplified.  “We want to see Nigerian products on the shelves of South African…

Nigeria still seems fixated on the Global North as the wind blows in the opposite direction. The largest foreign investors in Nigeria – the UK, the Netherlands, France and the US – have not changed style since the 1950s. Their investments are mainly elitist, essentially in oil and gas, and ammunition, and portfolio investments, which mainly profit them, not Nigeria. Over time, not much has changed, and little has been done to invest in areas that improve the everyday life…

Tunde Onakoya is a Nigerian chess player and social activist whose influence extends far beyond the 64 squares of the chessboard. As the founder of the Chess in Slums initiative, he uses chess as a powerful tool to educate, motivate, and transform the lives of young people in Nigeria’s underprivileged areas. His work, which began in the slums of Lagos, has garnered international admiration, becoming a symbol of social innovation driven by determined passion.  Onakoya was born and raised in…

It has been my privilege to witness a huge transformation and pivot as well as an enormous development of China from a close distance during my years living in China. I will say that if ever there was a time when African countries needed to be modernised, it is now.   Themed Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future, the goal of the 2024 Summit on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing is…

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding a prophetic statement made by Nigerian pastor Apostle Joshua Selman regarding the raising and training of new Indigenous Apostolic voices, particularly in South Africa. The apostle mentioned that God will handpick men, and many of those will be brought to Nigeria for training. This statement stirred up a significant amount of backlash from some members of the South African Christian community, with objections raised about the prophecy not aligning with their expectations…

Tunisian companies were encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Niger market, especially in key sectors such as agriculture, energy, water, healthcare, and real estate. This was reported by Tunis Afrique Presse, a partner of TV BRICS. Speaking at the Niger-Tunisia Business Forum held in Niamey on May 6, Jamel Ksibi, president of the National Federation of Construction and Public Works Contractors, part of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade, and Handicrafts (UTICA), expressed the desire of…

At least 16 people were killed in an attack by suspected gunmen in Nigeria’s central Plateau state, local officials have said. Oya James, spokesperson for Operation Safe Haven, a military-led multi-security taskforce in Plateau, told reporters in Jos, the state capital, on Sunday that the attack occurred in Mushu, a village in the Bokkos local government area, late Saturday. The villagers were asleep when the gunmen entered the neighborhood, shooting indiscriminately and destroying property, James said. He said the motive…

MARKETS have responded positively to the early reforms by the new administration in Nigeria. FBN Quest, the market watcher, noted the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGXAS) has rallied since the inauguration of President Bola Tinubu at the end of May. Compared with Sub-Saharan Africa peer markets like Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) (+2,6 percent year-to-date), Kenya Stock Exchange  (-16, 1 percent) and Ghana Stock Exchange (13,4 percent), NGXASI has returned an increase of 15,8 percent year-to-date. The price rally has been broad-based,…

THE firing of service chiefs and immediate dissolution of the boards of all government parastatals, agencies, institutions and companies is the latest blitz by the new president, Bola Tinubu, to carve a stranglehold on power in Nigeria. The purge comes three weeks after he was inaugurated as the fifth president of Africa’s political and economic powerhouse since the advent of civilian rule in 1999. Tinubu, who is also Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, has made unprecedented changes since…