General News
UK Backs Africa’s Ambitious Continental Free Trade Initiative
The UK launches a program of up to £35 million to support the negotiations and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The AfCTFA is expected to lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty, create jobs and provide new business opportunities for companies in Africa and the UK. It comes as Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, visits London to discuss how the UK can continue its work as a strategic partner to the trading bloc.
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has announced a new UK program to support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) trading bloc.
Through the AfCFTA Support Programme, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will provide up to £35 million to facilitate trade and support trade policy to the AfCFTA Secretariat and member states through TradeMark East Africa ( TMEA), Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and other regional partners.
The announcement of the program comes as the Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, visits London to discuss how the UK can continue its work as a strategic partner of the AfCFTA.
As the world’s largest free trade area, the AfCFTA has the potential to drive Africa’s economic growth by driving industrialization, creating jobs and bringing prosperity across the continent.
For UK businesses, the trading bloc will remove barriers to market access by creating a single continental market, making it easier and more profitable for UK businesses to export goods and services to all 54 member states. of AfCFTA.
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: As an independent free trade nation, the UK is a strong supporter of the AfCFTA, the world’s largest free trade area.
We look forward to seeing continued momentum in the pending negotiations and practical implementation of the agreement on the ground.
This new aid program shows that trade is a positive force and will lead to increased trade, investment and prosperity for both Africa and the UK.
Minister for Africa Vicky Ford said: Closer integration among African economies drives growth across the continent, creates opportunity and helps lift people out of poverty.
The UK is a committed partner in this mission. This UK funding will promote long-term partnerships between African countries and support a greener and more prosperous continent.
I am delighted to support the AfCFTA Secretariat and its member states in delivering freer and fairer trading systems in Africa.
Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat Wamkele Mene said: “We are pleased to receive this support from the UK Government as it brings us into a partnership to strengthen cooperation related to customs and trade facilitation and trade policy across the African continent.
In the last five years, we have seen the re-engineering of our Regional Economic Communities, to take into account the aspirations that are embedded in the AfCFTA instruments. We have also witnessed during this period the enthusiasm and energy of our private sector to rise to the occasion and begin to exploit the provisions of the Agreement.
Our ambition now is to see commercially significant trade in ‘Made in the AfCFTA’ products across our continent, to create jobs and economic opportunity for Africans, especially women and youth. We want to make trade easier for Africans, in particular for our African women and youth who trade across our borders.
This new AfCFTA support program is therefore timely to facilitate the implementation of the AfCFTA, by supporting national implementation committees and regional economic communities.
The program builds on the existing work of the Trade for Development unit of FCDO and DIT to strengthen partnerships and resilience in Africa.
Under the UK’s G7 presidency last year, the new British Investment International (BII) group committed to working with other G7 development finance institutions (DFIs) to invest at least $80 billion in the African private sector to 2027.
Support for projects in Africa from UK Export Finance is also at its highest point in decades, backing a range of infrastructure projects in countries from Côte d’Ivoire to Uganda, with more than £2.3bn of financial support a year. past.
The AfCFTA Support Program also complements the UK’s broader partnership with the African Union as a multilateral institution to promote global values.
Along with the Secretary of State for International Trade and Minister for Africa, Secretary General Mene will meet members of the UK business and investment community during his stay in London.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has unveiled a forward-looking strategy that places satellite-enabled mobile connectivity at the heart of the country’s drive to bridge its long-standing coverage gaps.
The draft Spectrum Roadmap for the Communications Sector for 2025 to 2030 lays out how satellite technologies could help deliver reliable voice and data services to millions of Nigerians who live beyond the reach of conventional mobile networks.
The direction is outlined in the Commission’s draft Spectrum Roadmap for the Communications Sector covering the period.
The proposed approach highlights non-terrestrial networks as a complement to existing mobile infrastructure, especially in areas where terrain, insecurity, or high costs limit the deployment of base stations.
The NCC said D2D satellite technology, which allows standard mobile phones to connect directly to satellites, is gaining traction globally as a means of delivering voice and data services without reliance on ground towers.
According to the regulator, the technology could help close persistent coverage gaps in rural, riverine, and border communities that remain outside the reach of conventional networks.
It also noted that satellite-backed connectivity could improve network reliability by providing alternative links during fibre cuts, power failures, or other disruptions affecting terrestrial systems.
The Commission added that wider adoption of D2D services could support emergency communications, public safety operations, Internet of Things applications, and services such as smart agriculture in underserved regions.
It also pointed to potential investment opportunities through partnerships between mobile network operators and satellite companies, including more efficient use of shared spectrum resources.
Beyond D2D services, the roadmap places emphasis on Low-Earth Orbit satellites to expand broadband access to remote parts of the country.
It also proposes better utilisation of Geostationary Orbit satellites and the exploration of high-altitude platforms, such as stratospheric balloons, to support mobile backhaul and rural connectivity.
The policy signals come shortly after Airtel Africa announced an agreement with SpaceX to introduce Starlink-powered direct-to-cell services in Nigeria.
The NCC’s roadmap is expected to shape future spectrum allocation, licensing decisions, and technology adoption across the telecommunications sector.
General News
House of Reps Releases Certified Copies of Tax Reform Acts amid Gazette Discrepancy Claims
House of Representatives has released certified true copies of the four tax reform Acts signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, addressing public concerns over alleged discrepancies between legislative versions and circulated gazetted documents.
Tax Reform Acts
House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, disclosed this in a statement, noting that Speaker Tajudeen Abbas directed the immediate publication of the Acts—including endorsement and presidential assent pages—for public verification, in collaboration with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The move followed allegations raised by Rep. Abdulsamad Dasuki on the House floor, highlighting inconsistencies between Bills passed by the National Assembly and executive gazetted versions, which he warned could erode legislative integrity and public trust.
Abbas constituted a seven-member ad hoc committee chaired by Rep. Aliyu Betara, with members including Idris Wase, Sada Soli, Adedeji Faleke, Igariwey Iduma, Fred Agbedi and Babajimi Benson, to investigate the alleged alterations, unauthorised circulation and preventive measures.
The committee’s mandate includes probing circumstances around the discrepancies, while Abbas ordered internal verification and public release of certified copies to dispel doubts and safeguard legislative records. Legal experts, tax professionals and civil society had demanded clarification and implementation suspension amid heated debates triggered by Dasuki’s intervention.
The released laws comprise the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; National Revenue Service Establishment Act, 2025; and Joint Revenue Board Establishment Act, 2025, described as foundational to modernising Nigeria’s tax system.
These reforms aim to enhance compliance, curb inefficiencies, eliminate overlaps and bolster fiscal coordination across federal, state and local tiers, following extensive stakeholder consultations, committee reviews and plenary debates under Abbas’s leadership.
Rotimi reassured Nigerians: “The National Assembly is an institution built on records, procedure, and institutional memory. Every Bill, every amendment, and every Act follows a traceable constitutional and parliamentary pathway.”
He emphasised that only National Assembly-certified versions hold authority, urging the public, institutions and stakeholders to disregard all other circulating documents as unofficial.
MultiChoice, a CANAL+ company, has retained the distribution rights to 12 Warner Bros. Discovery thematic channels following the signing of a new multi-year, multi-territory agreement between CANAL+ Group and Warner Bros. Discovery, marking a significant expansion of their long-standing partnership.
MultiChoice
The new deal, which spans several regions across Africa and Europe, covers the distribution of HBO Max as well as the renewal of selected Warner Bros. Discovery thematic channels. It represents a major milestone in the companies’ international collaboration and strengthens content offerings across MultiChoice Group territories.
MultiChoice disclosed that this agreement builds on earlier partnerships concluded in Europe. “It builds on the landmark agreements concluded in France in 2024,including the renewal of the exclusive pay-TV window for Warner Bros. Pictures films just six months after their theatrical release in France and the integration of HBO Max within select CANAL+ group offers – as well as in Poland in 2025, with the renewal of the distribution agreement for 22 thematic channels (including TVN 24 and Eurosport) and 4 free-to-air channels (including TVN).”
Under the renewed arrangement, MultiChoice Group will continue to distribute 12 Warner Bros. Discovery thematic channels across its territories, with some channels offered on an exclusive basis. CNN International and Cartoon Network will remain exclusive to South Africa while being distributed non-exclusively in other markets. Cartoon Network Porto will be exclusive in Angola and Mozambique and non-exclusive elsewhere. Other channels such as Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, TNT Africa, Travel, ID and Cartoonito will be offered on a non-exclusive basis.
According to the partners, the deal reinforces CANAL+ Group’s channel portfolio on the continent. “This agreement enables CANAL+ Group to strengthen its entertainment, kids, news, and documentary channel offerings in African markets.”
The agreement is also expected to improve access for CANAL+ Group subscribers to Warner Bros. Discovery’s premium content through HBO Max and selected channels, including globally recognised series and films, further extending the studio’s international reach while consolidating MultiChoice’s content offering in key markets.
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