Category: West Africa
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A Boeing 737 Max 8 made an emergency landing after an engine problem
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A Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft from the fleet that was grounded after two deadly crashes made an emergency landing in Florida on Tuesday. No passengers were aboard Southwest Airlines Flight 8701, which was being ferried from Orlando International Airport to Victorville, California, for short-term storage during the grounding, the airline said. Just before 3…
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Eskom Intensifies South Africa Power Cuts as More Units Fail
Blackouts in South Africa intensified to a maximum level on Saturday after the state power utility said it lost additional generation, including electricity imports from Mozambique. The power cuts, first implemented over the weekend to replenish water and diesel designed for surplus generation, were raised to so-called Stage 4, removing 4,000 megawatts from the grid, Eskom…
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Airbus scraps A380 superjumbo jet as sales slump
European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has pulled the plug on its struggling A380 superjumbo, which entered service just 12 years ago. Airbus said last deliveries of the world’s largest passenger aircraft, which cost about $25bn to develop, would be made in 2021. The decision comes after Emirates, the largest A380 customer, cut its order. The A380…
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EU adds Saudi Arabia to dirty-money blacklist, upsets UK, U.S
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The European Commission added Saudi Arabia, Panama and four U.S. territories to a blacklist of nations it considers a threat because of lax controls on terrorism financing and money laundering, the EU executive said on Wednesday. The move is part of a crackdown on money laundering after several scandals at EU banks, but it has…
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Brexit: US ambassador to UK Johnson warns on trade deal
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Donald Trump’s offer of a “quick, massive, bilateral trade deal” will not be possible if Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement is approved, the US ambassador to the UK has warned. President Trump had previously said her Brexit proposal sounded like a “great deal for the EU”. Woody Johnson told the BBC the UK was “in…
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Nigeria’s first gold refinery to triple capacity in 5 years
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Nigeria’s first gold refinery is expected to more than triple its capacity within five years after operations begin next June, an executive at the company developing it said on Tuesday. Nere Teriba, vice chairman of local firm Kian Smith Trade & Co, said the refinery would initially be able to produce three tonnes per month…
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World Bank announces $200 billion for Climate Action
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The World Bank Group today announced a major new set of climate targets for 2021-2025, doubling its current 5-year investments to around $200 billion in support for countries to take ambitious climate action. The new plan significantly boosts support for adaptation and resilience, recognizing mounting climate change impacts on lives and livelihoods, especially in the…
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ECOWAS to introduce new certification mark for export products
Traders seeking to export products from Ghana to other states within the ECOWAS region, will from March 2019 need a certification mark from ECOWAS for their products to be recognized as authentic and of good quality. The certification mark which is called the ECOMARK would be provided to all 15 ECOWAS countries for it to…
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Nigeria’s central bank revokes license of Skye Bank
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the licence of Skye Bank Nigeria Plc. CBN Governor and the Managing Director of the Nigeria Insurance Deposit Corporation (NDIC), Godwin Emefiele, disclosed this on Friday at a media briefing in Lagos. He also announced the change in the name of Skye Bank to Polaris Bank which…
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Nigeria slaps $2bn bill on phone giant MTN
Nigeria has asked mobile phone operator MTN to pay a $2bn (£1.6bn) tax bill, the company says. MTN challenged the figure, saying it related to activities over the past decade. It said it had settled the bill with a $700m payment. The tax demand is the latest in a series of disputes between MTN and…