During a meeting between the Nigerian and Ghanaian presidents on January 20, on the sidelines of the UK-Africa 2020 summit, Muhammadu Buhari (photo) brought new arguments to justify extending the duration of the closure of the Nigerian borders.
According to the Nigerian president, the partial closure was motivated not only by the fight against rice smuggling but also the fight against drugs. For, “when most of the vehicles carrying rice and other food products through our land borders are intercepted, you find cheap hard drugs, and small arms, under the food products. This has terrible consequences for any country,” he deplored.
So to reopen its borders, the Nigerian president said, there are some issues that need to be addressed first. This will be done through the cross-border committee that has been set up for this purpose. “Once the committee comes up with its recommendations, we will sit and consider them,” he said.
This means that the borders will not be reopened anytime soon. It is good news for Nigerian rice producers who, according to President Buhari, are the real winners in this situation.
It should be noted that this border closure has been going on for five months and is having a disastrous impact on the economies of West African countries, Benin, Togo, and Niger particularly.
• Maritime sector faces renewed risks amid military tensions in the Middle East• Blockade fears at S...
Lebara Group is now bringing its affordable and reliable mobile services to Africa, starting with Ni...
• Google unveils Veo 3, its latest AI tool for ultra-realistic video generation• Experts warn deepfa...
In a West African financial landscape marked by tighter regulation of the fintech sector, digital fi...
• Gates Foundation commits $1.6 billion over five years to Gavi.• Bill Gates warns of rising ch...
• Mozambican government and Huawei considering the construction of a local mobile phone factory catered to rural needs • Special features for rural...
• Djibouti adopts new digital code to accelerate digital transformation, with focus on data protection, cybersecurity, and e-commerce. • The move aligns...
• Record drought tests Zambia's dependence on hydropower, impacting its vital mining industry • Adoption of dedicated solar projects, such as the recent...
• The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved €25.5 million in funding to boost Mauritanian SMEs and stimulate inclusive growth.• Mauritania’s...
In northern Ethiopia, in the Tigray region, lies Axum (also spelled Aksum), an ancient city that once stood at the heart of one of Africa’s most powerful...
Lake Natron, located in northern Tanzania near the Kenyan border, is one of the most extraordinary and extreme lakes in Africa. Fed primarily by the Ewaso...