News
Saudi Arabia Opens Its Doors To African Investors
Joel Ajayi
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is opening its doors to African investors and companies to benefit from the huge investment opportunities provided by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 mega projects, a resolution from the Saudi-Africa Summit, indicates.
The Kingdom, while reiterating the importance of economic cooperation and joint investment with African countries to achieve sustainable development and benefit from human resources and the global supply chains, said Saudi companies and investors would likewise be encouraged to increase quality investments in the African continent in various fields.
To this end, the Kingdom has launched a Digital Market Initiative – IMPACT, which seeks to enhance access to digital services, raising the quality of life, and developing the digital economy for the attainment of regional cooperation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Saudi-Africa Summit also expressed grave concerns over the escalating violence and loss of civilian lives resulting from the ongoing Israeli attacks on Palestine, stressing the need for the cessation of all military operations in Gaza and the protection of civilians in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law.
African leaders and the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in a resolution tagged “The Riyadh Declaration Regarding the Situation in Palestine,” called on the international community to mount pressure on Israel to desist from further attacks and the forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, describing it as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and international laws.
The leaders called for a swift enabling of humanitarian organisations to play their role in providing humanitarian and relief aid to the Palestinian people, especially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), so as to halt the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and also emphasized the urgent need for de-escalation and a return to diplomatic dialogue to address the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in accordance with the principle of the two-state solution, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the relevant international legitimacy resolutions, in a way that guarantees the Palestinian people their right to establish their independent state on the borders of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Upon the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi-African Summit was convened on November 10, 2023, in Riyadh, to further develop the relations between Africa and the Kingdom and also forge ties that would promote strategic partnership between both sides.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia highlighted the importance of the historical ties with the African continent and its growing interest in developing such relations with the Continent across the political, economic, investment, commercial, development, cultural and social fields.
On their part, the African leaders renewed their commitment to strengthening cooperation between the African countries and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, driven by the joint strategic partnership, avenues of common interests, and geographical, historical and sociocultural ties that the African continent shares with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The African leaders also paid glowing tribute to the early support shown by Saudi Arabia to herald and welcome the African Union while joining the G20 as a permanent member.
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed attended the Summit and held a bilateral meeting with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman in the areas of investment and support for the ongoing reforms in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The President was accompanied by top Nigerian government officials.
Politics
Kaduna LG poll: Election didn’t hold in Kagarko, Gov Sani should investigate, cancel exercise- PDP candidate Yusuf
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Kagarko Local Government Area (LGA) chairmanship election in Kaduna State, Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf, who is the Buhun Barkonun Abuja and Sa’Snusnugye (Sarkin Tausayin) Dnata, has described the outcome of the Chairmanship and Councillorship elections held in the state on Saturday, October 19.
The Chairman of Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KAD-SIECOM), Hajia Hajara Mohammed, announced that elections took place in all the 255 wards of the state and 23 LGAs.
She said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) won all the 23 LGAs Chairmanship positions and all the 255 Councilors’ seats.
However, in a statement he signed and made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday, Yusuf, who resigned his position as Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Revenue and Security Taskforce ahead of the election, said he would have won massively if the election was free and fair.
He said that what happened at Kagarko Local Government Area was not an election, but a charade, adding he remains the popular candidate and choice of the people.
He called on Governor Uba Sani to critically look at what transpired over the weekend and cancel exercise.
He said: “I sincerely want to appreciate my people of Kagarko Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State over the massive love and support shown to me during the Kaduna State Local Government Area election.
“However, I want to use this opportunity to tell the whole world that election didn’t hold in Kagarko LGA, where I was the candidate of the PDP and the popular choice of the people.
“Of a truth, if election was conducted, I would have won overwhelmingly and congratulated by the people of Kagarko Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State as I remain their popular choice.
“I want to place it on record that election did not hold in Kagarko and other LGAs in Kaduna state. In fact, election materials arrived late and came without results sheets, so the electorates, who were rightly suspicious of an untoward game, refused to vote.
“There is a saying that you can’t put something on nothing and expect it to stand. In other words, since the election did not hold, there is no way that results would have been announced to declare winners at the ward levels (Councillors) and at the Local Government Headquarters (Chairmen) as mandated in the KAD-SIECOM law, PART VI Section 23 (1) and (2).
“I have viewed documents on the social media purported to be KAD-SIECOM results sheets, apportioning votes to candidates of political parties, when clearly no such results were collated at the polls.
“Therefore, I side with the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Kaduna State Chapter, in condemning the sham conducted by the Chairman of Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KAD-SIECOM), Hajia Hajara Mohammed, by claiming that elections took place in all the 255 wards of the state and 23 LGAs, whereas reverse was the case.
“I also call on Governor Uba Sani Gov UBA Sani to critically look at what transpired over the weekend, especially the massive rejection and condemnation of the charade called election and call for the cancellation of the exercise.
“People are supposed to have faith in the governor, so he should not betray the trust of the people, but should do the right thing by calling for a fresh election in order to strengthen democracy in Kaduna state and increase the love, trust and hope people have in him.”
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