Author: Garrell Clarke

The Union of Shopping Centres (STTs) estimates that half of the country’s shopping centres are facing high debt burdens. Many have taken out loans with floating rates, which creates a risk of widespread bankruptcies. Marina Malakhatko, a senior director at the consulting firm CORE.XP, told the Russian media outlet Kommersant that at least 200 shopping malls will be at risk of bankruptcy in 2025. She said some owners are already looking to sell their assets. Debt servicing has become even tougher after Russia‘s Central Bank was forced to hike interest rates to 21 percent – the highest level in over 20 years. The…

Neptune is fondly known for being a rich blue and Uranus green – but a new study has revealed that the two ice giants are actually far closer in colour than typically thought. The correct shades of the planets have been confirmed with the help of research led by Professor Patrick Irwin from the University of Oxford, which has been published today in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. He and his team found that both worlds are in fact a similar shade of greenish blue, despite the commonly-held belief that Neptune is a deep azure and Uranus…

Rabat – Morocco’s fertilizer giant OCP has renewed its commitment towards making its activities “as green as possible.” OCP’s Head of Corporate Strategy Iliass El Fali reiterated the company’s goal in an interview with Energy Voice, stressing the group’s commitment to carbon neutrality. Recalling OCP’s $13 billion program, Energy Voice emphasized OCP’s plan to “ramp up renewable energy production and green hydrogen.” “We’ve committed to carbon neutrality, scope 1 and 2, by 2030, and scope 3 by 2040. Part of this commitment to ensure carbon neutrality will be to consume green ammonia,” the outlet quoted El Fali as saying. The goal…

The feature used very little green screen, but instead relied on the country’s landscapes as its most important visual effect. Filmmaker M Sayibu didn’t have much money to spend on his upcoming sci-fi feature The Batu Project: Adam the First, but he did have the sweeping vistas of Ghana at his disposal. The film was largely shot over 30 days in Sayibu’s native country, with the small salt mining town of Sege serving as one of its key locations, standing in for an alien planet. “There was nothing there. You are not in Ghana or on Earth anymore,” Sayibu recalls of driving…

The EU’s commitment to supporting West African nations, including Ghana, in their fight against terrorism and instability is a significant step in the right direction In recent years, West Africa has become a battleground for a growing terrorist insurgency that threatens the stability of the region. The Sahel, an arid belt of land located just south of the vast Sahara Desert, has been at the epicentre of this conflict. The Sahel region has been plagued by various terrorist groups for years. These groups have been actively seeking to expand their operations targetting the coastal nations of West Africa, a region…

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNOCHA, says it spent at least $1.1 billion in its humanitarian response in Nigeria’s Northeast in the past 18 months. UNOCHA’s Humanitarian Dashboard for the First and Second Quarter of 2022 showed that 11.6 million locals had been targeted for food, health and shelter, among other forms of intervention in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. Despite the aid, the Office could only reach 8.3 million residents due to what it described as “funds shortage”. This population comprises three groups: Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, returnees and inhabitants of host communities. “The…

Niger’s ousted president Mohamed Bazoum is with his family and is doing well, a relatives told AFP Sunday, after claims by the country’s new military rulers this week that he had tried to escape. “He is at the presidential residence (in Niamey) with his wife and son and is doing well,” the family member said, adding that he was allowed to make one phone call. The source added that his doctor was able to see him and “bring him food”. On Thursday, the military regime which overthrew the democratically elected Bazoum on July 26 said they had foiled an attempt…

The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) says it has won the support of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to market Nigeria to the world at the forthcoming World Travel Market (WTM) in London. Its National President, Mrs Susan Akporiaye, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2023 WTM is to hold from Nov. 6 to Nov. 8 in London. Akporiaye said the royal father’s attendance at the occasion would be a great honour to Nigeria and its diverse cultural tourism heritage. “I can imagine the pull…

Ethiopia is planning to issue digital ID to refugees, in what could be the first program of its kind to ease access to government services and benefits, The Ethiopian Herald reports. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the National Identification Program Office, the Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) and the United Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) stipulates the provision of Ethiopia’s national digital ID, Fayda, to refugees and returnees in the country. Fayda has been expanding steadily, becoming the main credential for public servants and the official ID for students in September. RRS Director-General Teyiba Hassan says the goal…

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has provided a grant of U.S.$2.5 million to support 10,000 small horticultural businesses in Tanzania. Development Dairies reports that the funds, which were approved on 19 October, 2023, will come from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme to support mainly food system service providers in rural areas. Tanzanian agriculture is seeing rapid growth in the horticultural sector. The East African country’s annual growth rate is 11 percent, whereas the agriculture sector as a whole is rising at a pace of four percent. Nonetheless, Tanzania’s horticultural industry faces numerous difficulties, including low and uneven proficiency…