By Maureen Okon

The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria Abu Shawesh, has called on the Federal Government to use her political weight to convince more countries to recognise Palestine as an Independent state.

The envoy made the call at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja when he addressed newsmen on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war development.

The envoy said recognising Palestine as a state would ease the challenge faced by its citizens in procuring visas.

He said as a heavy weight in international affairs, Nigeria’s voice could go a long way in influencing more recognition for the State of Palestine.

Shawesh said that heavy political weight can hang the balance not only in African continent, but all over the globe.

According to him some European Union (EU) member states recognise Palestine as a state

“Now we have over 20 or 27 European countries voting for a state of Palestine.

“In the past 10 days some European countries have recognised Palestine as a state and this is an important move for the visa procurement’’, he told newsmen.

NAN reports that Slovenia became the latest EU country to recognise an Independent State of Palestine after its parliament approved the move with a majority vote earlier on Tuesday.

It would be recalled that Slovenia government last week decided to recognise Palestine as an Independent and sovereign state following the steps of Spain, Ireland and Norway as part of a wider effort to coordinate pressure on Israel to end the conflict in Gaza.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Benson Ezugwu/ Halima Sheji

By Maureen Okon

The Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Stefano De Leo, said that the relationship between Nigeria and Italy is based on mutual respect and cooperation.

The envoy disclosed this during the 78th Italian National Day celebration, also known as the Festa della Repubblica, marking the abolishment of the monarch system and establishment of a republic in 1947.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports on Thursday that the celebration commenced a day earlier with an art exhibition of the Yoruba cultural heritage by a renowned Italian artist called Luigi Ballarin.

De Leo said that the day is significant for both Nigeria and Italy, and a symbol of friendship.

The envoy added that “this year marks the Italian G7 Presidency with the commitment to strengthen ties with Africa and Nigeria specifically.

“The aim is to strengthen the bridge that makes us grow together through cooperation, development and equal partnership.

“Italy offers a model of cooperation and development that bears the name of a great Italian, Enrico Mattel, the founder of ENI, known in Nigeria as Agip and NAOC, with a historic presence in Nigeria.

“Over the years, we have witnessed the growth of cultural exchanges, trade partnerships, and investments between the two countries.

“We have worked together and will continue to address common challenges such as terrorism, migration and climate change.’’ (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Remi Koleoso/Halima Sheji

By Mark Longyen

Some West African stakeholders are upbeat about the prospects of business startups growing up to become big companies owned by business moguls, complementing today’s major industry players as employers of labour.

They expressed this optimism in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at a preparatory meeting ahead of the second West African startup awards scheduled to hold later in the year.

“Startups are supposed to be unicorns and they’ve dovetailed into becoming future employers of businesses, huge ones.

“They’re not SME’s, but businesses that will have both continental and regional impact.

“We’re trying to build up young ones so that they can go into complementing the current business moguls.

“Those business moguls, who are even the ones to mentor them now, so that they also grow up to do the same things that the big ones are doing.

“So, for me, I think it’s a step in the right direction to create businesses,” ECOWAS Ag.Director, Private Sector, Anthony Elumelu said.

According to Guinea Bissau’s Cesaltina Tavares,  Communications Officer, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) Lomé, Togo, the sky is the limit for the growth of startups.

Tavares said that explained why EBID was prepared to give tremendous financial support to select startups, to enable them to achieve their dreams and boost the ECOWAS private sector.

“My take in this event is that the startups really need institutions like us to improve the work they are doing already.

“They are not just businesses. Startups for private sector is a dream.

“So, on this note, we are here to support them with all our financial power.

“So that we can improve the ECOWAS private sector. I believe that this is just the way forward,” Tavares said.

Also speaking, Chinenye Akandu, Partnerships Executive of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, said that it was in realisation of the great potentials of startups that the foundation came to their rescue.

She disclosed that the foundation had doled out a whooping $100 million  to identify, train, mentor and fund 10,000 young african entrepreneurs over a period of ten years.

“In terms of the collaboration between ECOWAS and other organisations in support of startups and entrepreneurs in West Africa.

“I believe entrepreneurship and startups are like the life wire, the lifelong economic growth and development on the continent.

“We at the Tony Elumelu Fondation are at the forefront in terms of supporting these young African entrepreneurs.

“We believe that private sectors have a huge role to play in terms of economic development and social welfare across the continent. So entrepreneurship to us is the baby.

“We believe that they have a crucial role to play on the continent and everything in terms of economic growth and development, entrepreneurship is the number one.

“They are the live wire. They are the live blood. They are the seeds that you plant, and they are the seeds that will germinate and bring forth growth and development on the continent.

“So, first of all, we started with $100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor and fund 10,000 young African entrepreneurs over a period of ten years.

“And we are actually in our 10th year of the program, the 10th cycle, and we’ve been able to empower and fund over 20,000 young African entrepreneurs,” she said.

Michael Oyeyiola, Ecobank Manager, FCT and Northern Nigeria, said that buoyed by the potential of startups to boost West Africa’s economy, the bank had helped the ecosystem by way of their mentoring and capacity building.

“We were deeply involved in the first part of this program, where we supported the ecosystem in terms of executing this program, financially and otherwise.

“A significant role we actually played was also in terms of the mentoring and capacity development of those people.

“Resourcing is one, but also helping those individuals to be able to navigate necessary partnerships, is necessary,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited the by Isaac Aregbesola

By Mark Longyen

President, ECOWAS Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Edward Asante, has called on staff participants to engage in productive dialogue and decision-making at the institution’s 16th administrative and budget retreat.

Justice Asante, who made this known in his address at the event, on Monday, explained that the call was necessary, considering the essential role that budgetary allocations played in the court’s functioning.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the retreat is expected to foster thoughtful discussions, open dialogues, and constructive debates, leveraging participants’ collective wisdom, diverse perspectives, and shared experiences.

“We have to be able to judge all and put our heads together to come up with the best budget.

“When this is presented to the Administration and Finance Committee (AFC) and to the Council of Ministers, they will look at it as a very good budget and approve it for us.

“We know budgetary issues are very important for every institution since that is the mainstay,” he said.

He urged all participants to contribute thoughtfully to the budget discussions, and urged them to deploy collective wisdom and strategic planning during the retreat discussions.

The CCJ President also expressed the court’s intention to advocate for the preservation of its budget, highlighting its reliance on community funding.

According to him, the comprehensive efforts made to collate inputs from all departments and units, will ensure that the proposed budget reflects the diverse needs and priorities of the entire court.

Justice Asante, who also noted that ECOWAS was facing some financial challenges, cautioned participants against overburdening its resources.

He disclosed that administrative and operational costs constituted 80 per cent of CCJ’s budget, leaving limited funds for planned activities, stressing that in spite of the constraints, he reaffirmed the court was committed to its mandate.

“We must all know that the community is now financially weak and therefore we do not have to overburden the Community itself.

“We still have to do our programmes to let people know that the Court is also performing its function.

“Without taking much of our time, I will declare the budget, and administration retreat open,” Asante said.

Also speaking, Dr William Towah, the CCJ’s Director of Administration and Finance, expressed full confidence that the retreat would pave the way for innovative solutions, inspire new ideas, and renew the sense of purpose within the Community Court of Justice.

He said the retreat was a platform to assess the Court’s progress and strategise for the future, and lauded its staff’s collective dedication and diligence, which propelled the institution to new heights, upholding the rule of law.

Towah noted that there were persisting challenges, adding that there was need for continuous improvement, while calling for a critical assessment of the Court’s shortcoming and the identification of areas for enhancement.

“Our collective efforts have earned the respect and trust of our stakeholders, creating a positive impact on the lives of those we serve.

“By embracing these challenges, we can further strengthen our foundation and ensure that the Court remains a beacon of justice and fairness,” he added.

NAN reports that the event was attended by the CCJ’s Vice President, judges, and directors, among other members of staff of the court.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Halima Sheji

By Fortune Abang

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) on Saturday declared Latin America and the Caribbean or the Pacific as host for its 2025 workshop.

The Treaty is a multilateral agreement opened for signature in September 1996, signed by 187 nations and ratified by 178 to prohibit nuclear weapon test by anyone anywhere in the world.

The Executive Secretary of CTBTO, Dr Robert Floyd, disclosed this at the closing of the two-day regional workshop for African States Signatories on Saturday in Banjul, The Gambia.

The workshop was held from May 31 to June 1.

Floyd said, “The workshop was experimental: it is the first time we have conducted a workshop like this outside of Vienna, and The Gambia in Africa is the first to host it.

“The workshop has been a success. It is not a global community that gathered, but a continent that gathered. It is wonderful that we can focus on Africa.”

“The next experiment is likely to be in Latin America, and the Caribbean or the Pacific region.”

“We have come so far to discover the Treaty has so much to deliver to every Member State, every signatory.”

“There is benefit for all signatories to the Treaty through capacity building, for those interested in engaging in dialogue against nuclear weapons testing.”

The Executive Secretary identified benefits of the Treaty to include ensuring safety and protection of the environment from nuclear weapons tests, disaster management and other civil and scientific purposes.”

“We must establish a world without nuclear tests, put barriers against further development and proliferation of nuclear weapons.”

“It is an essential step towards a shared future of eradicating nuclear weapons in our environment,” he added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports out of 52 States in Africa that signed the Treaty, 50 have so far ratified it. (NAN)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

By Fortune Abang

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) has urged African countries to adhere to the agreement on the nuclear weapon testing ban to ensure safety and security in the continent.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral agreement which opened for signature in September 1996 and has since been signed by 187 nations and ratified by 178 to prohibit any nuclear weapon test anywhere in the world by anyone.

The Executive Secretary of CTBTO, Dr Robert Floyd, spoke at the opening of the two-day regional workshop organised by CTBTO for African States Signatories in Banjul, The Gambia.

The workshop held from May 31 to June 1.

He said although 52 States in Africa signed the Treaty and enjoy CTBTO membership, 50 ratified it.

Floyd, therefore, implored countries yet to ratify the CTBT to do so in order to achieve desired goals.

“Two of them, Somalia and South Sudan are very close.”

He said that prior to 1996, there were more than 2,000 confirmed nuclear tests; some were conducted in Africa but none was conducted by an African country.

“Radioactive traces shown from all nuclear tests, particularly atmospheric tests, carried out some decades ago impacted the world negatively and are still traced in African elephants’ tusks.

“Right now, Africa’s 35 International Monitoring System (IMS) stations are listening to the earth’s crust rumbling and groaning, as well as streaming their data to Vienna.

“The signing of the CTBT just under 28 years ago has yielded landmark achievement: Africa played vital role to build consensus and get the Treaty adopted by the UN General Assembly in New York.

“Therefore, the complete adherence by African countries to the CTBT will ensure the full realisation of a nuclear- weapon-free zone in Africa,” he said.

Mr Dawda Jallow, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice of The Gambia, commended CTBTO for the organisation of the workshop at a time of global tension and conflicts.

According to him, the meeting brings together CTBTO stakeholders from Africa to discuss and advance the nuclear testing ban policy objective within the region.

“The challenges we face today require collective efforts through dialogue and diplomacy with relevant support to the CTBT.

“The CTBT’s primarily aim is not just to prevent nuclear testing, but to benefit civil and scientific applications as well.

“The verification regime established by the CTBT offers valuable data and tools that can be utilised for purposes, such as climate change research, disaster prevention, including Tsunami warning.

“These capabilities provide additional benefits to countries like The Gambia and also have the potential of generating positive outcomes across various sectors of economy,” he said.

Dr Oumar Touray, President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), described the workshop as apt, coming at a time Africans needed to partner to tackle the security situation.

Touray, represented by Mr Claude Kondor, Political Advisor to the Resident Representative of the ECOWAS Commission in The Gambia, said the workshop had become important to unite African countries towards achieving a shared future.

“This is to advance the CTBT and reinforce our collective resolve; to prevent nuclear proliferation and promote global security.

“Today, we are gathered to contribute to a cause that not only affects our continents, but the entire world.

“This workshop is a testament to our shared dedication towards achieving sustainable peace and cooperation in Africa and beyond,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chijioke Okoronkwo