The family of a British billionaire adventurer who died after the Titan submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion have paid tribute to their “dedicated father”.
Hamish Harding was described as “a guide, an inspiration, a support, and a living legend” following the news of his death on Thursday.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the tail cone of the deep-sea vessel was discovered around 500 metres from the bow of the Titanic wreckage during a press conference in Boston.
Rear Admiral John Mauger said further debris was also found, in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, that was “consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber”.
OceanGate Expeditions said its pilot and chief executive Stockton Rush – along with Harding and fellow UK citizens Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet, “have sadly been lost.”
In a short statement, Harding’s family said: “He was one of a kind and we adored him.
“He was a passionate explorer – whatever the terrain – who lived his life for his family, his business and for the next adventure.
“What he achieved in his lifetime was truly remarkable and if we can take any small consolation from this tragedy, it’s that we lost him doing what he loved.”
Harding’s family said his death has left a “gap in our lives that can never be filled”, and that they were “united in grief” with the families of the others who had died.
“We know that Hamish would have been immensely proud to see how nations, experts, industry colleagues and friends came together for the search and we extend our heartfelt thanks for all their efforts,” they said.
Shahzada Dawood’s company paid tribute to him and his son after their deaths.
In a statement, Engro Corporation, the Pakistani conglomerate that Dawood was vice chairman of, said: “With heavy hearts and great sadness, we grieve the loss of our vice chairman, Shahzada Dawood, and his beloved son, Suleman Dawood.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dawood family at this tragic time.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, colleagues, friends and all those around the world who grieve this unthinkable loss.”
Rear Admiral Mauger said there did not appear to be any connection between the underwater noises detected during the search and rescue mission and the location of the debris on the seafloor.
“This was a catastrophic implosion of the vessel which would have generated a significant broadband sound down there that the sonar buoys would have picked up,” he said.
Undersea expert Paul Hankin said five major pieces of debris helped to identify it as from the Titan submersible – including the vessel’s nose cone and the front end bell of the pressure hull.
According to court documents, safety concerns had previously been raised about the Titan submersible by a former employee of OceanGate.
The filings said David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former director of marine operations, claimed wrongful dismissal after flagging worries about the company’s alleged “refusal to conduct critical, non-destructive testing of the experimental design”.
Court papers suggest Lochridge “identified numerous issues that posed serious safety concerns” but he was allegedly “met with hostility and denial of access” to necessary documents before later being fired.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly described the update as “tragic news” and said the UK Government is closely supporting the British families affected.
The White House said the families of those who died had “been through a harrowing ordeal over the past few days, and we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers.” (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
A “debris field” has been discovered within the search area for the missing Titan submersible, the U.S. Coastguard (USCG) said on Thursday.
The agency said a remotely-operated vehicle made the discovery near the wreckage of the Titanic on Thursday.
The hunt for the missing deep-sea vessel is still an “active search and rescue” mission after it lost communication on Sunday.
The vessel was about 700 kilometres south of St John’s, Newfoundland, during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck off the coast of Canada.
Coastguard officials said they were “evaluating the information” following Thursday’s debris discovery.
A press conference will be held at the Coastguard base in Boston to “discuss the findings” at 8pm (1900 GMT).
Rear Admiral John Mauger, the first Coastguard district commander, and Captain Jamie Frederick, first Coastguard district response coordinator, will lead the press conference.
Founding member of the Board of Trustees of The Explorers Club, Hamish Harding, was on board the undersea craft, alongside UK-based businessman Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, and OceanGate’s chief executive and founder Stockton Rush, as well as French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
The USCG said the ROV that made the discovery was from the Canadian Horizon Arctic ship – with the debris being found on the sea floor near the Titanic wreckage.
Assistance from the Royal Air Force (RAF) is due to arrive in St John’s on Thursday after it confirmed a request was received overnight for help with movement of additional commercial equipment.
Two RAF planes, a C-17 Globemaster and A400 Atlas, departed RAF Lossiemouth in north-east Scotland on Thursday.
A British submariner and equipment from a UK firm has been sent to help the search at the request of the U.S. Coastguard, Downing Street said.
Royal Navy submariner Lieutenant Commander Richard Kantharia, who was on exchange with the U.S. Navy, has been seconded to the search and rescue team.
OceanGate Expeditions estimated the oxygen supply on the 6.7 metre-long vessel would last 96 hours, giving rescuers a deadline of around midday on Thursday.
Experts said the chances of finding the sub and rescuing those inside was diminishing.
Former Royal Navy submarine captain Ryan Ramsey told the PA news agency: “The outlook is bleak, that’s the only word for it as this tragic event unfolds and almost the closing stages of where this changes from rescue to a salvage mission.”
The Titan is believed to be about 900 miles east and 400 miles south of Newfoundland.
It is not known how deep the vessel is, with the seabed being around 3,800 metres from the surface.
The Bulgarian President, Rumen Radev (r) speaking with the Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), Kiril Valchev (l) at the rose field near Kazanlak.
By Emmanuel Yashim, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
From Thursday, June 1 to Sunday, June 5 no fewer than 25 journalists from across the world converged on Kazanlak, a city in central Bulgaria, about three and a half hours drive from the capital, Sofia.
They were there not only to attend the 18th World Meeting of the Bulgarian Media but to witness the annual traditional Rose Festival in the area.
The gathering also offered the opportunity and the platform for the laying of wreath in remembrance of Hristo Botev who was killed 147 years ago in the course of defending his community.
Botev is considered a Bulgarian revolutionary and a poet. He is seen by Bulgarians as a symbolic, historical figure and national hero.
Having ended the meeting within two days, it was time to witness the traditional annual festival of the Rose flower.
It was the 120th time that the festival was held in Kazanlak, a town of not more than 300, 000 inhabitants, but one with a rich tradition, history, and culture.
The city is fondly referred to as the “Valley of Roses’’, the “Valley of the Thracian Kings’’, and “Capital of the Queen of Flowers’’.
Kazanlak is famous for its abundance of flowers, especially the oil-bearing and fragrant rose. The city is considered to be the capital of Bulgaria’s Rose Valley.
A visit to the town generates a blissful feeling because of a combination of the weather, naturally beautiful scenery, and majesty of the Stara Planina—the elongated, 130 km-long ridge of the mountain which forms a natural border
Kazanlak’s beauty is made even more dreamlike by the fertility in the valley of Tundza (archeological project) and the warm mineral springs.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Zlatna Kostova, Head of International Relations at the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), said the Valley of the Thracian Kings derived its name from being host to tombs where kings of the Thracian tribe were buried.
She said Thracians or Thracian Bulgarians are a regional, ethnographic group of ethnic Bulgarians, inhabiting or native to Thrace.
Today, according to her, the larger part of the population is concentrated in Northern Thrace, but much is spread across the whole of Bulgaria and the diaspora.
Ancient Thrace was located in the Balkan Peninsula region, which comprises most of modern-day Bulgaria.
A visit to the Rose Valley reveals the extensive gardens of oil-bearing roses from which the famous rose oil is produced.
Some journalists
In a booklet entitled “120 Years of Rose Festival Kazanlak’’, the Kazanlak Municipality said: “The development of rose production has a direct impact on the daily life and culture of the local population.
“The discarded petals were used as food for domestic animals while rose water was used to treat sick eyes, stomach ailments, and more.
“Sugar mixed with rose oil was used to treat gallbladder problems, and rose `rakia’ – a traditional Bulgarian brandy – and rose jam became favourite delicacies not only among Muslims but also among Bulgarians.
“The Kazanlak rose can also be found in the traditional clothing of the population of the Rose Valley, especially on the embroidery.’’
While there are more than 300 species of the rose flower with the Roza genus specie originating in ancient times and found in the wooded and moist provinces of India, China, East Africa, and America, there are three unique ones grown in Kazanlak.
“The flowers and the fruits of the rose have been used for the production of aromatic oils, wine, tea, medicines, etc in Assyria, Babylon, India, China, Persia, and Egypt.
“In ancient Egyptian literature, the rose was considered a sacred plant, and during the reign of Ramses II in the 13th Century BC it was cultivated as a cultural plant’’, she said.
These attributes of the oil-bearing rose have attracted attention from ancient times to the present day. It was for these reasons and more that the Kazanlak community hold a festival in reverence of the wonderful attributes of the flower considered by many as “the symbol of Bulgaria’’.
Depuy
The festival was one of Bulgarian splendour and pageantry, folklore dancing, traditional customs, crafts, and taking pictures in a rose field. This happens on every first Sunday in the month of June.
There was a carnival along the Knyaz Al. Batenberg Boulevard in the city centre by many associations ranging from artists, dancers, hunters, past athletes, fashion designers, make-up artists, mathematicians, and builders.
Others were electricians and computer technologists, personnel of the armed forces, among others – both the young and old, male and female.
It was generally a wonderful, beautiful, and dreamlike sight to behold, no wonder Abdullah Suleiman Salih Al Assaf of Saudi Press Agency (SPA) described the festival “awesome’’ and “worth celebrating’’.
Some young brains in the carnival procession during the Rose Festival.
“I am both surprised and not surprised’’, he said when asked whether the celebration was worth it. I didn’t know it was going to turn out this big. Initially, I thought it was going to be a small gathering of people, but look at this.
“The display of rich culture, tradition, and history here, and the colours on display are all awesome.
“The rich fragrance of the rose flower, the Rose Queen pageant, even the presence of the country’s president at the festival testify to the greatness of the event, he said.
“I am impressed by the commitment of the people of this community. Look at the participation’’, he told NAN.
Also speaking with NAN, the Deputy Director of the Museum of Rose in Kazanlak, Radosalav Petrov said the festival was a celebration of the benefits that the rose flower has brought to the lives of the people in the area.
“The rose industry here is providing jobs for at least 30,000 people. This includes people who cultivate the roses, pick them when they are ripe for picking, and process the petals in distilleries to get the oil from them.
“There is also another aspect of the value chain. We can produce many products from the rose. And don’t forget that we will go ahead and sell them,’’ he said.
The Rose Festival was first organised by citizens of Kazanlak in 1903. It was dedicated to beauty and flowers as well as charity.
Rich exhibitions were organised and the funds collected were given to poor families, the aged, and orphans. The festival became more popular in the 1930s and by 1966 it had gained nationwide acceptance.
Thus, in 1967, the first national Rose Festival was organised in Kazanlak, and two years later, in 1969, a carnival procession element was added to the event.
A colourful procession during the carnival.
The carnival procession was led by the Chariot of Seuthes III and the Rose Queen, who is usually the winner of the city’s Most Beautiful Girl Pageant for the running year.
The Rose Queen for 2023 is Kristina Popova, a high school graduate who was coronated at a ceremony at the Seuthopolis Square in the Kazanlak city centre.
The worldwide recognition of the festival is just one of the big acknowledgements of the Kazanlak people who have made a cult of beauty through one flower.
They have proven that dedication and commitment to work, and charity through the years can lead to the institution of a tradition worth celebrating as the Rose Festival, one which many observers consider to be phenomenal. (NANFeatures)
**If used please credit the writer and News Agency of Nigeria.
No fewer than 102 stranded Nigerians evacuated from Libya were on Wednesday received by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Lagos.
The returnees were officially received by Mr Mustapha Ahmed, Director-General, NEMA on behalf of the Federal Government, according to a statement made available to newsmen by the agency.
The statement said that of the 102 returnees 96 were females, two males and four infants.
It added that the returnees arrived at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, late Tuesday evening board an Al Buraq Air Boeing 737-800 with registration number 5A-DMG.
It quoted the DG as saying that the federal government was committed to ensuring that Nigerian citizens were protected anywhere they find themselves. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
==================
Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Maharazu Ahmed
The Federal Government with the Support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday repatriated 102 more Nigerian irregular migrants who were released from detention facilities in Libya.
Amb. Kabiru Musa, Chargé D’Affaires En Titre of the Nigerian Mission in Libya disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise is coming barely twenty-four hours after twenty-one other Nigerian irregular migrants were repatriated by the IOM and the Nigerian Mission in Libya.
Musa said that the evacuees departed Mitiga International Airport Tripoli aboard chartered flight no UZ 189 at 1:00 p.m local time and are expected to arrive Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos same day.
“With the support of the IOM and the Libyan authorities, we have successfully evacuated another batch of stranded Nigerians in Libya after we facilitated their release from detention centers in Libya.
“Among the evacuees are 94 female adults, four male children, and four female children.
“They are being evacuated under the Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation (VHR) progrmme. The exercise further demonstrates the Federal government’s commitment to ensuring that no Nigerian is left stranded abroad.
“I advised the returnees to desist from irregular migration which involves travelling to a foreign country without valid travel documents or visa. It is risky and makes them susceptible to abuses.
“They were also enlightened on the deception of human traffickers who use fake promises to lure them into modern day slavery and sexual exploitation.
“I have also admonished them to become vanguards for the fight against trafficking in persons which is a crime against humanity and a dent to the good image of Nigeria when they return home.
“The federal government is committed to the safe, orderly return of irregular migrants so as not leave them suffer deprivation while in detention. We have to work together with relevant authorities to end the menace of human trafficking and irregular migration,” Musa said.
Musa said that he was glad on the pledges by the returnees never to embark on such perilous journey and to always seek regular pathways for migration in future if it becomes necessary.
The also promised to wage war against the crime when they eventually reunite with their families.
NAN reports that almost 5,000 stranded Nigerians in Libya have been successfully repatriated by the Federal government in collaboration with the IOM under the VHR, from 2021 to date with over 800 evacuated in eight exercises in 2023 alone. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
The Nigerian Medical Mission to Saudi Arabia for the 2023 hajj has recommended sanctions on states with high number of advanced pregnant women pilgrims.
Dr Usman Galadima, Chief of Operations and Head of the mission, made the recommendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Makkah on Tuesday.
NAN reports that the mission was constituted by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) with a view to providing quality healthcare services to Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia throughout the Hajj period.
Galadima said that the mission had recorded cases of pregnant women coming for pilgrimage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in spite of sustained efforts and awareness to prevent them from coming for hajj.
He confirmed that a Nigerian pilgrim had delivered a seven month old baby through cesarean section in Madina.
The head of the medical mission added that it had recorded cases of miscarriages which could have been prevented if the affected women registered for ante natal at the mission’s clinic.
Galadima called for a strong commitment from all hajj stakeholders to curtail the rate of pregnant women coming for pilgrimage.
According to him, any woman that wants to come on pilgrimage should plan well including avoidance of getting pregnant.
Galadima said: “What I will advise is that probably if some punitive measures can be established or be carried out against erring states or states with certain number of advanced pregnancies that is obviously to everybody.
“Probably that will curtail the surge that we are seeing now. So I think it requires commitment on the side of all the stakeholders.”
He said that during its pre-hajj programmes organised by the medical team, screening for prospective pilgrims in all the 36 states and the FCT were done.
According to him, the medical screening which included pregnancy tests were conducted by state nominees or members of the medical team that are from the states.
He added: “Even among the staffers of NAHCON, pregnancy tests were done on each and everyone of them and members of the medical team.
“So, NAHCON has zero tolerance for this. However, we still find them here now some are not aware or do not know that they are pregnant but some obviously concealed these pregnancies.
”It is curious to note that someone with advanced pregnancy missed all the screening.”
Galadima said that combining pregnancy and rigours of hajj was very difficult, adding that the woman runs a risk of loosing the pregnancy and putting her life at risk.
He added: “However, what we want to appeal now is that those that are pregnant, if actually they are aware, they should come to the hospital and register.
“We will carry out ante-natal services for them and this is because we have specialists such as Gynecologists and Obstetricians among us.
”So, we can look after them, look after their pregnancy and tell them the life style to adopt and how to prevent lost of pregnancy.”
Galadima stated that so far, the medical team had attended to over 11,000 pilgrims with different kinds of illnesses.
He added: “We have sufficient drugs and we are not getting so much complains. However, we have registered two mortalities.
“We had two deaths, one male and one female. That of the female occurred on Monday evening and that of the male, a few days ago.
“We have a total of 534 members of the Nigerian medical team out of which 222 are doctors and almost about 200 nurses as well.
”We have 93 pharmacists and about 27 community health officers.
“This is the highest number of medical professionals that we had to bring to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and this is because of the large contingent of Nigerian pilgrims which is about 95,000.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
The Saudi Arabian General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM) has cautioned Nigerian journalists currently covering the ongoing 2023 Hajj against political and sectarian reportage.
The commission’s Director in charge of Jeddah Office, Alhaji Hamzah Algobishie, made the call when he received a delegation from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), led by its the Deputy Coordinator of Makkah, Alhaji Alidu Shutti, on Sunday.
Algobishie also urged the Nigerian media to be factual, fair, accurate and balanced while reporting all issues concerning the 2023 hajj related to Nigerian pilgrims.
He advised the media to work in accordance with the guidelines for hajj coverage in Makkah and Madina before, during and after the hajj rituals.
Similarly, the director enjoined members of the NAHCON media team to strickly limit themselves to reporting hajj affairs as their primary assignments for the Nigerian hajj commission in Saudi Arabia.
Algobishie emphasised the need for the media to avoid reporting any issues between the Saudi Arabian authorities and other countries.
The director, who stressed the need for journalists to adhere strictly to the ethics of the profession, expressed willingness of the organisation to offer clarification on issues that the media might seek explanation.
He, however, commended the Nigerian media for being responsive in reporting hajj activities in Saudi Arabia over the years.
” We are happy with Nigerian media for their conduct over the years. We are making some progress to ensure timely accreditation of the media.
” And we are ready to attach some of our personnel to guide the media on how to go about their reportage which is restricted to hajj activities.
” We have made it very clear to the Saudi Ministry for Hajj and Umrah to ensure that the media shun reporting politics and sectarian issues. They should also avoid reporting issues bordering on the relationship between Saudi Arabia and other countries.”
Algobishie pledged that the organisation would organise a capacity building workshop for NAHCON’s media team to broaden their knowledge and understanding of hajj and tourism issues in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, Shittu had assured that members of the media team would continue to abide by the ethics of journalism and the guidelines for reporting hajj activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He disclosed that NAHCON mobilised about 50 journalists from different media organisations, including those broadcasting in some local langues to report hajj activities.
” This is because the 95,000 Nigerians left their families and relations in Nigeria who will like to be hearing about their loved ones in Saudi Arabia and through the media, the commission will keep them abreast of happenings here.
” On behalf of the Chairman of NAHCON, Zikrullah Hassan, we thank the General Commission for Audiovisual Media for its support and cooperation to the commission over years.
” The chairman wanted to be here personally but he is still in Nigeria to ensure that all pilgrims are transported to Saudi Arabia. You have been very supportive of the commission and we are
soliciting for more understanding.
” We assure you that the media will abide by the ethics of journalism and the Saudi Arabia rules and regulations.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commission is responsible for the development, regulation and supervision of audio-visual media transmission and content in accordance with the kingdom’s media policy. (NAN)
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) office in Nigeria has donated learning materials and planted trees in an effort at promoting climate change action in GSS Lafia South, Nasarawa State.
KOICA executed the projects in collaboration with the South Korea International Cooperation Association of Nigeria (SKICAN).
Mr Minjae Kang, Deputy Country Director representing the Country Director KOICA disclosed this in a statement.
KOICA said the two projects were in furtherance of the organisations’ annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) with a focus on providing the necessary resources to enhance a conductive environment for learning.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the learning materials included whiteboards, desks, chairs, school backpacks, and mathematical sets, among others.
According to the country director, the donation was to support the education of the kids in the community towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 of Free education for all.
“We strongly believe in education which is a very important tool for mental construct and development of children.
“So it is part of what we invest in for the benefit of humanity.
“In the past 10 years, through its Official Development Assistance Programme in Nigeria, KOICA has implemented various educational projects including training of more than 2,000 Nigerians in Korea on Ph.D, master’s degree, and country specific short-term programmes,” he said.
Minjae noted that the CSR activity also focuses on promoting awareness of the effects of climate change and mitigation measures.
“We organise knowledge-sharing sessions for school teachers under the title of ‘Climate Change Actions’ to emphasise on the importance of healthy environments and enhance the performance, growth and development of children.
“The importance of tree-planting cannot be overemphasised.
“Trees absorb sound and reduce noise pollution. They provide natural cooling effects.
“Trees purify the air, they absorb pollutant gasses and also absorb odors and act as filter as little particles get trapped in leaves.
“We believe that tree-planting is a practical step towards mitigating climate change effects,” Minjae said.
Mallam Adamu Tanko, Principal of GSS Lafia South, expressed appreciation to KOICA and its alumni association for the visit and for providing support to the kids.
He pledged to ensure that the materials and trees are well maintained. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
The South African BRICS Business Council says it will be engaging Nigerian businesses and the private sector players, to expand trade and investment opportunities in Africa.
Chairperson of the council, Ms Busi Mabuza stated this in a virtual interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
According her, she will be on a working visit to engage with relevant partners in Nigeria in July.
Mabuza said that Nigeria played a critical role in the continent and had one of the most entrepreneurial cultures and experience in the world.
She said that considering the importance of Nigeria, South Africa was expecting to host a sizeable number of Nigerian delegation to the 2023 BRICS summit scheduled to hold in Augusut, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
“My visit to Nigeria on July 4 and July 5 is to meet with business leaders and ask them to join hands with us so that we showcase the best of Africa to the rest of the world.
“And we cannot do that without Nigeria, the business people, from the continent,” she said.
Mabuza lauded Nigeria for thriving in other sectors, even though it was an oil reliant nation.
This, according to her, is one of the success secrets she will love Nigeria to share with other countries of the region.
According to Mabuza, making the agricultural sector attractive, innovative with more incentives, and creating an enabling environment for Small Medium Enterprises will draw the younger generation into harnessing the potentials in the sector.
“So far as agric business is concerned, there are very exciting opportunities across all manner of value chains.
“If we look at the example of India which is very similar in every way to us, technical support to rural based Small and Medium Enterprises is absolutely critical.
“Financial support on its own is not enough for these players, we need to couple it with opening up markets for these players. And that is where the common agro parks are so important.
“Another thing that the small players cannot afford to pay attention to is the agric-technology, because of its cost. So, the lessons are many and the interest is absolutely amazing.
“We saw last year, India announcing a two billion dollars investment in their agroparks because they have the opportunity to actually success going forward.
“And we believe that as an African continent, we are going to be attracting the investments if we are able to implement of this,” Mabuza said.
Responding to questions on Nigeria joining the BRICS nation, Mabuza said that it would be exciting.
She noted that there were engagements, as quite a number of countries had knocked off the doors of the BRICS formation, to seek membership and expansion.
“Nigeria is an important, critical anchor to the African countries, so I will be delighted if Nigeria were to join as soon as possible, if the membership is expanded,” she said.
Also speaking in the expectations from the new administration in Nigeria, which focused on improving the economy, Mabuza noted that there were expectations of an exploding growth rate, as was in the case of India, when she had her reforms.
Looking at the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Russian-Ukraine war on the globe, Mabuza said it was time for Africa to walk away from its over dependency on other nations and be self-reliant.
NAN reports that the BRICS Business Council was established during the 2013 BRICS Summit.
The Council comprises of 25 prominent entrepreneurs drawn from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, representing different industries and sectors in BRICS member countries.
It meets twice a year, and the final report is presented to BRICS leaders at the Summit. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Opening Africa’s market to global investors, unlocking trade barriers on the continents will top discussions when Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the BRICS nation, meet in Johannesburg, South-Africa, in August.
Ms Busi Mabuza, the Chair of the South African BRICS Business Council, disclosed this in a virtual interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.
Mabuza said that the 2023 BRICS Summit in August would centre on the theme “BRICS and Africa Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism”.
She explained that the goal is to create attractive opportunities for foreign investment, boost export capacities of countries in the continent in order to expand Africa’s economy and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rate.
The SA BRICS Council Chair said that the council also intend to adopt a pragmatic approach in addressing trade patterns that would see all partner markets and Africa benefiting from the BRICS cooperation.
Mabuza said that it would be a knowledge sharing meeting, with African nations also taking notes for the successes of other BRICS nations to improve their own economy and market.
“This is the third time that South Africa will be hosting the BRICS nations and each time it has been BRICS and Africa because we believe in the attractiveness of this continent not just one to an economy of its own.
“We are going to be having experts from the BRICS nations coming in and including our own. We do have experts on the African continent that can add value to all of these discussions.
“They are going to be discussions around the impact of climate change, agro-business, on farming, discussions around how to create geoprocessing units so that you are not just exporting the raw produce, the raw foods, it is important to export the processed ones as well.
“So, we expect that the experts would be sharing that knowledge with us.
“But what is critically important is that when we close those engagements, we go out and implement as a continent,” Mabuza said.
She said that although South Africa is the only African nation in the BRICS formation, it has remained a voice of the continent in the bloc.
“We believe in the attractiveness of this continent is not just one to an economy of its own.
“And with the African Continental Free Trade Area, now kicking into implementation gear, I believe that our composition to the preparedness is going to be much more compending than perhaps it has been in the past.
“What is going to be different this time is that we have composed that the focus on trade and investment needs to be sharpened.
“The BRICS economies have grown immeasurably since we joined the BRICS formation, however, a translation on the trade and investment side for the continent has been a bit lopsided and our partners agree that it is time that we focus on rebalancing that.
“They also need to take some value-added materials from us, we are taking value added materials from them and I believe that it is a good thing for us and transforming on that front,” Mabuza said.
NAN reports that the BRICS 2023 Summit under the Chair of South Africa would be inviting 20 Heads of State, multilateral and international partners to the event. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola
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