News
AfDB, EU Ink Agreements to Co-Finance Road Projects in West Africa
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the European Commission have signed five co-financing agreements to support road infrastructure projects in West Africa.
The total cost of the 5 projects co-financed by the Bank and EU is 652 million Euros (428 billion CFA francs). Of this, the Bank contributes 350 million Euros in loans [and grants], the European Commission 105 million Euros in grants (close to 70 billion FCFA), with the remaining amounts financed by other partners, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the concerned West African countries and other donors.
The agreements were signed by Stefano Manservisi, European Commission Director General for International Cooperation and Development, and Charles Boamah, AfDB Senior Vice-President, during the 6th EU-Africa Business Forum, held in Abidjan. The presidents of the Economic Community of West African States and of WAEMU, West African transport ministers and several donors were present at the signing ceremony.
The cooperation agreements form part of a historic framework agreement known as the Pillar Assessed Grant or Delegation Agreement (PAGODA) between the Bank group and the European Commission (EC) on September 25, 2017. They include blended finance instruments to mobilize grant resources to contribute to the implementation of the Bank’s priorities: light up and power Africa, feed Africa, integrate Africa, industrialize Africa and improve the quality of life for people of Africa.
As the continent’s premier financial institution, the Bank is playing a leading role in meeting the financing needs of African countries. The signing of the PAGODA partnership agreement and of these 5 specific infrastructure projects showcases AfDB’s role in leveraging partner institutions to achieve greater development impact.
According to Boamah, the signing of the delegation agreements “demonstrate the strong partnership between the Bank and the European Commission. We are on the right path and I am convinced that our cooperation will continue to grow. For the Bank, PAGODA goes beyond a simple financing framework. The stakes are much higher: we must fulfill our commitment to fight poverty by mobilizing additional partners and resources for greater results and impact.”
The PAGODA accords will help fund the rehabilitation of the Lome-Cotonou road, studies and measures for trade and transport facilitation on the Abidjan-Lagos corridor, road development and transport facilitation on the Bamako-San Pedro corridor between Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as the construction of the Rosso bridge between Mauritania and Senegal, and the rehabilitation of the CU2a community road section in Burkina Faso near the border with Niger.
The AfDB and the European Commission are committed to financing development projects focusing on poverty reduction by investing in critical infrastructure to promote seamless connectivity of transport, energy and ICT.
News
Students Loans’ Beneficiaries to Start Repayment 2 Years after Graduation- NELFUND:
Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has said that students in tertiary institutions and approved vocational centres would start repayment of the loan two years after graduation.
However, NELFUND management specifically stated that the repayment of the loan would commence if the students secured a job or went into business.
Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, managing director, NELFUND, said the Act specify a moratorium of two years after graduation for the students to begin repayment of the loan.
Sawyerr said if the students start work, his employer would be expected to remit 10 percent into NELFUND dedicated account.
He added: “The loan does not have a specified repayment tenure. It makes it easy for students to apply for the loan. NELFUND would pay according to the documents provided by the institutions. We cannot put tenure on the loan; some will die, drop out, ‘Japa’ or refuse to pay. While those who went into business would pay into same account.
“It is a revolving a loan. We will not put students under pressure to get the loan and we are not going to state a tenure because it is not a commercial loan.’’
According to him, the loan is meant for students in public universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and vocational institutes, who apply via NELFUND portal and are expected to present their JAMB admission letter, NIN and BVN.
He explained that non-students would not have access to the loan and that NELFUND has put the necessary machinery in place to ensure that beneficiaries can be reached when the need arises.
His words: “We are using technology to run the new system. The process of application is online through our dedicated portal and we are limiting human contact as much as possible. Once you have a Bank Verification Number (BVN) and National Identification Number (NIN), which are parts of the requirements, we will have access to your data and all your accounts. This will also help us to know if you are qualified or not,” Sawyerr stated.
The MD disclosed that students already in institution are eligible to apply for the loan at any level of their study and must be at the beginning of each academic session.
He noted that such students would have to provide their admission and matriculation details in addition to BVN and NIN.
Sawyerr added that about 1.2 million Nigerian students in tertiary institutions and government-recognized vocational centres would be among the first batch of beneficiaries and that the figure would increase as time goes on.
The NELFUND boss disclosed that the scheme would be funded from one per cent of the total annual revenue by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), which would amount to N194 billion if the agency meets its projection.
Sawyerr observed that the loan would be paid in two segments, the first, being the school fees, which would be paid directly to the institutions while stipend would be paid into students’ account for their day-to-day upkeep.
He added that the amount individual students would access varies because of the course of study, school fees and geographical location of the institutions.
“You don’t start paying back the loan until two years after your National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme and you have secured a job or business. A beneficiary can defer repayment if he has not secured a job, but if after due diligence, he/she defaulted, then the student becomes a criminal and we will work with government agency that can help us get the money back, for example, EFCC, ICPC,” Sawyerr stated.
News
GPA Raises Alarm, Says Malaria Vaccine Can Cause Meningitis
Global Prolife Alliance (GPA), global health organization, has told the National Assembly that the intended malaria vaccine currently proposed by Bill Gates, American billionaire, for Nigeria can trigger meningitis in the populace.
Dr. Philip Njemanze, chairman of GPA, gave the warning in a statement released to newsmen in Owerri, the Imo state capital.
Njemanze, known for being pro-health in the Catholic church, charged the national assembly not to be in a hurry to succumb to the pressure of the bill currently before the house.
He said the vaccine may trigger the deaths of millions of Nigerian children prone to cerebral meningitis, especially in the northern part of the country.
Part of the letter read “Among the side effects is a tenfold increase in cerebral meningitis. Nigeria is endemic for cerebral meningitis. A tenfold increase could cause the deaths of millions of children, especially in northern Nigeria.
“Please intervene and call for a public hearing, for an open public discussion on the pros and cons with expert opinions from both sides. This will help the Nigerian people to be better informed about granting or withholding consent for the vaccination.
“Your intervention could save millions of lives, especially in northern Nigeria, where meningitis is most endemic, particularly at this time of serious insecurity,” Njemanze warned.
News
NERC Cedes Regulatory Oversight of Enugu Electricity Market to State Government Agency
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has ceded the regulatory oversight of the Enugu electricity market to the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC), which is owned by the state government with effect from May 1, 2024.
This is the first-ever transfer of regulatory powers from the NERC to a state government electricity regulator.
“On completion of the Transfers under subsections (2) and (3), whichever occurs later in time, the Commission shall have no further regulatory responsibility whatsoever for electricity market activities carried on entirely within the State to which regulatory responsibility has been transferred and for which the Additional Successor Company has been incorporated and conferred with assets, liabilities, employees, rights and obligations,” NERC said in a statement signed by Sanusi Garba and Dafe Akpeneye.
- Telecom1 day ago
ABoICT Lecture 2024 to Focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) In A Digital Economy
- Telecom1 day ago
NCAIR Relaunch: Pantami, Tijani Fight for Credit
- Telecom1 day ago
Telcos Record N27Bn Loss from Damaged Fibre Cables
- News1 day ago
FG to Secure Fresh $2.25Bn World Bank Loan
- News1 day ago
Wema Bank Launches 5th Edition of Youth-Focused Hackathon, “Hackaholics”
- E-Financial1 day ago
Dimon, JP Morgan CEO Describes Bitcoin as Fraud, Ponzi Scheme
- E-Business1 day ago
Forex Volatility will Not End Overnight- CBN Gov
- E-Financial1 day ago
Access Holdings to Use Tech in Raising N365bn Capital